Storyline: With its star-laden line-up, three stars stood out for the Nats this week: Bryce Harper, Steven Strasburg, and Max Scherzer. What an eventful week in Washington!
What an eventful week for the Washington Nationals! I’ve never seen a team have this much drama over just a few days.
Bryce Harper “talking” (photo, rwbsportsco.com)
It all started when star OF, Bryce Harper, was ejected during Monday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers. During the celebration following Nats’ Clint Robinson walk off homer (Nats won, 5-4), Harper confronted the umpire who had ejected him and appeared to swear at him. That action landed Harper a one-game suspension in addition to an undisclosed fine levied by the MLB. Even though Harper is appealing the suspension, the ejection and punitive actions tarnish his image. What Harper did runs contrary to his slogan, “Make Baseball Fun Again.”
But that wasn’t the only Nats story of the week. On Tuesday night SP Stephen Strasburg agreed to a 7-year, $175 million dollar extension with the team. That deal was a big surprise because big-money deals for pitchers usually get done during the offseason. Strasburg’s agent, Scott Boras, usually prefers to have his clients test free agency as a way to gauge their value in the open market.
Courtesy: times-union.com
But this move is good for both Strasburg and the Nationals. For Strasburg, it’s big money and sets him up for the rest of his career. It was smart to have some of the money deferred to 2030, which will help him out later in life. For the Nats, the signing seals up Strasburg and Max Scherzer and that tandem should make them playoff contenders. It also keeps fans in the seats because Strasburg is an electrifying pitcher. And the pattern of retaining their own players with big-money contracts will likely be appealing to Bryce Harper. He’ll be looking for an extension in the near future.
Wednesday night offered even more excitement for the Nats! Max Scherzer threw a career-high and record-tying 20 strikeouts! MLB hadn’t seen this kind of effort since the Cubs’ Kerry Wood did it years ago. It was interesting to watch, too. Scherzer’s performance seemed more exciting than watching his near-perfect game and no hitters.
Courtesy: fivethirtyeight.com
And Scherzer did it against his former team, the Detroit Tigers, who have struggled since his departure. If the Tigers weren’t regretting letting Scherzer walk back in 2015, then I bet they surely are now. Scherzer proved, once again, why he was worth the big money the Nats gave him. He’s a potential Hall of Famer.
What a week for Washington!
