Every time Stephen Strasburg takes the mound, he inches closer toward history. One more win and Strasburg will tie Roger Clemens for the second-longest winning streak by a starting pitcher to begin a season in the divisional era.
Strasburg is the first starter to go 13-0 since 2013, and you don’t have to look far to find the last person who did it. He’s also in the Washington Nationals' clubhouse.
“You just ride the wave,” said Max Scherzer, who started 13-0 with the Detroit Tigers three years ago. “I can only speak for myself, but I had the offense picking me up in every situation. Any time I faltered on the mound, the offense was right there and scored five. When it was a tight ballgame, they kept it there and probably got [me] a no-decision sometimes.”
<aside class="inline inline-with-table float-r"><header class="inline-header">[h=1]National treasure[/h]Stephen Strasburg is 13-0 this season, tied for the third-longest win streak to start a season in the Divisional Era (since 1969).
</header>
<thead>
</thead><tbody>
</tbody><tfoot>
</tfoot></aside>Scherzer went on to finish the year 21-3 and won the American League Cy Young Award. Just as Strasburg's new slider-cutter has contributed to his torrid start, Scherzer's success in 2013 was buoyed by adding a pitch to his repertoire.
“That's when I learned the curveball and found out, ‘Hey, I can do this. I can pitch with four pitches,’” Scherzer said. “It was something I didn’t think I was capable of doing with my arm slot, throwing a curveball. I never thought I was going to be able to do it, but I proved to myself I could.”
But Scherzer gives most of the credit to his former Tigers teammates.
“Let’s be honest: I was on a great offensive team,” Scherzer said. “You [had] Miggy (Miguel Cabrera), Torii (Torii Hunter), Victor (Victor Martinez) and all those guys. I’m not going to take anything away from what I did on the mound, but my record was because of my teammates."
Now his current teammate is looking to go beyond Scherzer's accomplishment. If Strasburg wins three more games, he would set the record for most consecutive wins to start a season in the divisional era.
“He’s laser-focused,” Scherzer said. "This is where he’s becoming the elite pitcher we saw blips of last year in the second half. He’s finally putting it all together and adding another pitch takes him to a new level. That’s what makes it so exciting. Here he is taking it a step further, and he can still take another step forward if he wants to.”
“Right when you wake up in the morning, it’s consuming your thoughts because you know the challenge that’s in front of you when you come to the ballpark,” Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said.
The Dodgers were prepared to face Strasburg last month in Los Angeles, but he was scratched from the lineup with an upper back injury. Ellis said they were aware of Strasburg’s new slider-cutter pitch, but have yet to see it up close.
“What you do in a situation like that is really rely on your teammates,” Ellis said. “Rely on those guys who go up there early in the innings and really describe to you what the [pitch] looks like, how it’s breaking, are you able to pick up rotation on it?
"It just adds to the dynamic of how nasty he is,” Ellis said. “You’ve already got me anxious just thinking about it."
Strasburg is the first starter to go 13-0 since 2013, and you don’t have to look far to find the last person who did it. He’s also in the Washington Nationals' clubhouse.
“You just ride the wave,” said Max Scherzer, who started 13-0 with the Detroit Tigers three years ago. “I can only speak for myself, but I had the offense picking me up in every situation. Any time I faltered on the mound, the offense was right there and scored five. When it was a tight ballgame, they kept it there and probably got [me] a no-decision sometimes.”
<aside class="inline inline-with-table float-r"><header class="inline-header">[h=1]National treasure[/h]Stephen Strasburg is 13-0 this season, tied for the third-longest win streak to start a season in the Divisional Era (since 1969).
</header>
| Year | Pitcher | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Dave McNally | 15 |
| 1986 | Roger Clemens* | 14 |
| 2016 | Stephen Strasburg | 13 |
| 2013 | Max Scherzer* | 13 |
| 1978 | Ron Guidry* | 13 |
| *-- Won Cy Young Award that season | ||
| -- ESPN Stats & Information |
<thead>
</thead><tbody>
</tbody><tfoot>
</tfoot>
“That's when I learned the curveball and found out, ‘Hey, I can do this. I can pitch with four pitches,’” Scherzer said. “It was something I didn’t think I was capable of doing with my arm slot, throwing a curveball. I never thought I was going to be able to do it, but I proved to myself I could.”
But Scherzer gives most of the credit to his former Tigers teammates.
“Let’s be honest: I was on a great offensive team,” Scherzer said. “You [had] Miggy (Miguel Cabrera), Torii (Torii Hunter), Victor (Victor Martinez) and all those guys. I’m not going to take anything away from what I did on the mound, but my record was because of my teammates."
Now his current teammate is looking to go beyond Scherzer's accomplishment. If Strasburg wins three more games, he would set the record for most consecutive wins to start a season in the divisional era.
“He’s laser-focused,” Scherzer said. "This is where he’s becoming the elite pitcher we saw blips of last year in the second half. He’s finally putting it all together and adding another pitch takes him to a new level. That’s what makes it so exciting. Here he is taking it a step further, and he can still take another step forward if he wants to.”
"You've already got me anxious just thinking about it."
<cite>Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis on Stephen Strasburg's new slider-cutter
</cite>
Strasburg’s career 1.71 ERA against the Dodgers is his lowest against any National League opponent, and he faces them next on Thursday.<cite>Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis on Stephen Strasburg's new slider-cutter
</cite>
“Right when you wake up in the morning, it’s consuming your thoughts because you know the challenge that’s in front of you when you come to the ballpark,” Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said.
The Dodgers were prepared to face Strasburg last month in Los Angeles, but he was scratched from the lineup with an upper back injury. Ellis said they were aware of Strasburg’s new slider-cutter pitch, but have yet to see it up close.
“What you do in a situation like that is really rely on your teammates,” Ellis said. “Rely on those guys who go up there early in the innings and really describe to you what the [pitch] looks like, how it’s breaking, are you able to pick up rotation on it?
"It just adds to the dynamic of how nasty he is,” Ellis said. “You’ve already got me anxious just thinking about it."
