On September 8, 2012 — The Nationals announce that they are shutting down 24 year old ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg in order to limit his innings on the mound in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2010. While other teams have taken similar decisions in the past, it is the first time a team involved in a pennant race has deliberately taken one of its top pitchers out of action of its own volition. Strasburg is 15-6, 3.16, with 197 strikeouts in 159 1/3 innings. His absence will be sorely felt when the Nats drop a five-game NLDS series to the Cardinals next month, in large part because of a lack of pitching depth after compiling the best record in major league baseball.
In the last public event in 32 year-old Cinergy Field, over 40,000 fans attend a softball game featuring Reds greats of the ‘Big Red Machine’ against an all-star team of players made up from the same era. Because the game is not affiliated with major league baseball, Pete Rose is allowed to play, and he receives a tremendous ovation from the Cincinnati fans.
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September 23, 2002
