Aug. 21, 2008
BEIJING (AP) -- Stephen Strasburg is about to make the biggest start of his young baseball career in the medal round for the Americans.
The 20-year-old Strasburg, the lone college player for the U.S. team, struck out 23 in an April game. He will take the mound for the third-seeded Americans against No. 2 and defending champion Cuba in Friday's second semifinal for a berth in the gold-medal game on Saturday.
Steven Strasburg, a pitcher for the U.S. baseball team, earns American player of the day honors for his one-hit performance in a win. "It's going to be great, absolutely," Strasburg said Wednesday, sitting in the dugout before his team faced Japan. "I'm definitely excited. We're coming together at the right time."
Manager Davey Johnson pushed Strasburg back from Wednesday night's preliminary finale against the Japanese to have the hard-throwing right-hander for a game that mattered even more.
"He's going to pitch his game and that's all he can do," U.S. reliever Casey Weathers said. "He's Stephen Strasburg. He is who he is. He's got good stuff and he's got a little confidence from the other games."
The probable No. 1 pick in next year's major league draft, Strasburg sure has shown he can pitch at the international level - last month in the national team's tour of Europe, then in his first Olympic start.
About 20 professional scouts were in the stands to see it - and it was an impressive outing.
Strasburg, an imposing presence at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and struck out 11 in the Americans' 7-0, rain-shortened victory over the Netherlands last Thursday.
Strasburg seems unfazed by all the attention. Johnson likes his maturity as much as his pitching talent.
"I just roll with it," Strasburg said. "I go out there trying to get better every day. There's always something you can do better. I have (learned) to have a little more composure.
Soon, he'll be back home in San Diego, where his Hall of Fame coach at San Diego State, Tony Gwynn, plans to let him rest his tired arm this fall. Strasburg has thrown 148 innings this year, and that doesn't count intrasquad games.
"He's pitched a lot in international play," Johnson said. "I wanted to give him a little more rest."
Once he's back in Southern California, Strasburg will have a week off before school starts.
"A week of summer, but it's been worth it," he said, grinning.
Strasburg plans to focus his training this fall on getting stronger and improving his conditioning.
He made quite a statement during his time on the European tour with the national team, made up of top college players. The Americans went 24-0, going undefeated for the first time in the program's history and capturing titles in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
He made seven appearances for the U.S. team, including outings during 10 games of pretour competition. Strasburg was 4-0 with a 0.88 ERA, striking out 62 and walking seven in 41 innings. He held opponents to a .123 batting average.
Strasburg does his best not to look too far into the future, like about where he might end up next summer. The Seattle Mariners, his hometown San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals are vying for the majors' worst record and the chance to draft Strasburg.
"It's so hard and I try not to think about it," he said. "A lot can happen between now and then. I just take every day as a new blessing."