Stark: Shut down Strasburg? Or let him pitch?

From SABR member Jayson Stark at ESPN.com on August 10, 2012:

The first thing you need to know about Stephen Strasburg‘s Shutdown Day is that it’s going to happen.

No matter how loudly you scream, no matter how eloquently you argue, no matter how many compelling counterpoints you present, the Washington Nationals aren’t changing their minds. Period. That’s a wrap.

So there is going to come a day, sometime in September, when the Nationals pat their ace on the butt, place his golden right arm in bubble wrap, and say, “Thanks for playing.” It’s as inevitable as the next Kristen Stewart tabloid blockbuster.

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So our mission, with the story you’re about to read, is not to spread more hysteria. It’s to help each other understand what this team’s decision is all about — but also to examine a couple of key arguments for the other side. So ready? Here we go.

Read the full article here: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8253442/shut-stephen-strasburg-just-let-pitch



Originally published: August 10, 2012. Last Updated: August 10, 2012.