Stephen Strasburg may be growing exasperated by the Washington Nationals being so careful with him and his multi-million-dollar arm. After an incident Friday when pitching coach Steve McCatty came out to the mound with a trainer, the pitcher had the following to say, according to the Washington Times:
Stephen Strasburg to Nationals: ‘I’m not a kid anymore’
Strasburg was visibly upset after the team’s pitching coach came out to the mound with a trainer after the pitcher stretched briefly in Friday’s game.
Christian Petersen
“I’m not a kid anymore...I should be allowed to stretch a little bit out there…obviously [ McCatty] cares about me and wants everything to be OK, but there was nothing to be worried about.”
McCatty and the trainer left the dugout after Strasburg bent over to stretch briefly in the later innings of Strasburg’s start. Strasburg and McCatty then appeared to have an argument in the dugout, though both sides downplayed the situation following the game.
More Nationals Coverage: Federal Baseball
Strasburg, 24, recently had been on the disabled list with a right lat strain. Over two starts since being activated from the DL, Strasburg has pitched 12 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out 13 batters. On the season, he has a 2.40 ERA and 1.031 WHIP.
The Nationals have been notoriously careful with their young ace, including controversially shutting Strasburg down in early September of 2012 when Washington was in the midst of a playoff race. The Nationals would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games in the National League Divisional Series.
Strasburg has suffered several injuries in his brief career thus far, including Tommy John surgery in 2010 that caused him to also miss most of the 2011 season.
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