Stephen Strasburg Broke Into Bigs With A Bang
PLUS: MEET TAMPA BAY'S NEW ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER, KEVIN IBACH
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh incurred the first major injury of the spring: arthroscopic knee surgery that will cost him 3-4 weeks . . .
Although the Yankees acquired two other outfielders beyond Juan Soto, it’s doubtful Alex Verdugo or Trent Grisham will get nearly as much playing time — especially with returning superstar Aaron Judge ticketed to anchor center . . .
Doubtful anyone takes a chance on former Dodger lefty Julio Urias, who went from 20-game winner a couple of years ago to domestic violence suspect . . .
After watching the Minnesota Twins take the AL West title with 87 wins in 2023, the free-spending Kansas City Royals have their eyes on the prize this season . . .
The moribund Miami Marlins not only lost Sandy Alcantara, their best player, for all of 2024 after Tommy John surgery but are the only team that didn’t sign a single major-league free agent other than Cristian Bethancourt.
Leading Off
Was Strasburg’s First Game the Greatest Debut Ever?
By Andrew C. Sharp
In its first issue of 2024, the venerable Baseball Digest chose Stephen Strasburg’s 2010 debut, at Nationals Park in Washington against Pittsburgh, as the greatest first-game performance in MLB history.
Clearly, because of the hype surrounding Strasburg’s selection as the first player chosen in the 2009 draft, and his short but dominant two stops in the minors, his debut with the Nationals was among the most anticipated.
On a Tuesday evening on June 8, 2010, the 21-year-old phenom from San Diego State didn’t disappoint. He set an American record for strikeouts in a debut by fanning 14 of the 24 Pirates who batted during his seven innings — and he didn’t walk anybody. As advertised, his fastball reached 100 mph. He gave up two runs on four hits but fanned the last seven batters he faced. The crowd of 40,315, supplemented by more than 200 members of the media, knew immediately that Strasburg was special.
Watching on MLB.TV from my home in New Jersey, what I was seeing gave me goose bumps. I regretted all the more the rainout that made me miss seeing him pitch for AA Harrisburg in April.
“It's kind of like when you get married,” Strasburg told reporters after the game. “You go into it wanting to really remember everything, and once it is done, you can't remember a single thing.”
Strasburg struck out the side in the second and had fanned six before yielding a two-out, two-run, homer to Delwyn Young in the fourth. But the fire-balling righty wasn’t rattled. He proceeded to fan the last seven batters he faced, tying the Nationals’ record for consecutive strikeouts.
The 14 strikeouts set a Nationals’ record at the time. (Strasburg’s eventual teammate Max Scherzer later struck out 15 and then as many as 20, tying the MLB record for a nine-inning game.)
Strasburg got support in the form of long balls from Washington’s 3-4-5 hitters: Ryan Zimmerman’s solo shot in the first gave the Nationals the lead, Adam Dunn’s two-run blast in the sixth, followed by Josh Willingham’s solo homer put Washington up 4-2. Zimmerman and Dunn each had three hits. The final score was 5-2. SABR’s Steven C. Weiner’s Games Project essay on Strasburg’s debut has a complete account.
“I thought I was going to be a lot more nervous than I was,” Strasburg said of his debut. Catching Strasburg that night was Ivan Rodriguez, near the end of his Hall-of-Fame career.
“This kid is unbelievable,” the Nationals catcher said after the game.” The rookie’s 94 pitches included a fastball that averaged 99 mph, a knee-bucking curve and a nasty change-up. His game score was 75. Tyler Clippard pitched the eighth and Matt Capps earned his 16th save in the ninth.
Baseball Digest had 20 players on its list of greatest debuts. Cecil Travis of the 1933 Senators, the only player in the 20th Century to get five hits in his debut, was ranked no. 10. He also was the only player on the list who debuted in the 1930s, the longest ago of anyone of the top 20.
The Giants’ Willie McCovey (July 30, 1959) and Juan Marichal (July 19, 1960) were the only Hall-of-Famers who made the cut. They ranked ninth and 10th respectively on the list compiled by long-time baseball writer Dom Amore.
Injuries ended Strasburg’s career prematurely, but not before he made three All-Star teams, won six post-season games and was voted the most valuable player in the 2019 World Series, helping a Washington team win its first championship since 1924.
Andrew C. Sharp is a retired newspaper journalist and a SABR member who has written several dozen Bio and Games Project essays. He blogs about D.C. baseball at Washingtonbaseballhistory.com
Cleaning Up
Kevin Ibach, Tampa Bay’s Rising Front-Office Star, Follows Path of Seinfeld’s George Costanza
By Dan Schlossberg
Any devoted Seinfeld fan remembers the story arc of George Costanza finally landing his dream job: assistant general manager of the Yankees.
“Trades, Jerry, trades!” he screams in excitement in his best friend’s New York apartment.
Many related episodes followed, including one in which George built a bed under his desk, another in which George Steinbrenner’s birthday card is framed before one of the front-office executives signed it, and another in which Costanza’s car is parked at the stadium while George himself is missing and presumed dead (“How could you trade Jay Buhner?” Frank Costanza tells Steinbrenner, who arrived with the bad news but blurts something about “Ken Phelps,” the nonentity received in exchange).
Seinfeld, still in reruns everywhere, may have been “the show about nothing” but bears striking similarities to real life.
Look no further than Tampa Bay, where Kevin Ibach has just been promoted to assistant general manager.
“We’ve very proud of him,” said Kevin’s dad Bob Ibach, a close personal friend for years — ever since we met at Randy Hundley’s Cubs Fantasy Camp in 1987.
“Kevin will be taking the lead role, he was told, in helping [president of baseball operations] Erik Neander make trades. Basically he’s been involved in that role for almost a year now.
“He began his baseball career handing out roster cards at the age of 4 at [the Cubs] spring training site in Mesa back in 1982. He’s had a wonderful journey as a standout second baseman / shortstop in high school and in Division I baseball at LaSalle University in Philly, where he batted .320 or better in three of his four seasons there.
“Then Syd Thrift hired him in Baltimore as player development assistant. Eight years later, he moved on to the Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins then) as a Midwest scout, covering six states.
“His journey with the Rays and his role there keeps on increasing. I’m so blessed to see him continue to climb up the ladder in baseball.”
Like father, like son.
Bob Ibach worked in the front office of the Chicago Cubs for years — as publications and public relations director, editing the award-winning team publication Vine Line, among other ventures. He was there for good times and bad, including the 1984 fiasco when the Cubs lost three playoff games in a row — and the National League pennant — against San Diego in the NL Championship Series, then a best-of-five affair.
He knew all about the Goat Curse of Wrigley Field and the long championship drought, which stretched 108 years from 1908 to 2016.
But he loved being close to such stars as Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Andre Dawson, Fergie Jenkins, and Greg Maddux. And he loved being an integral part of baseball.
One of many who weren’t good enough to play but found other rewarding jobs in the game, Kevin Ibach is 45 now but has a bright future ahead of him. Several assistant GMs, notably Dana Brown in Houston, were promoted from that position and are now running the show for their teams on their own.
As an extremely bright, intelligent, articulate, affable, well-dressed and well-groomed young man, Kevin Ibach is on the fast track to become a baseball general manager — even though only 30 such jobs exist at the major-league level. He knows the game, its players, and most of his front-office colleagues well. And he’s one of the reasons Tampa Bay won 99 games last year.
Bob Ibach, a sports book author who is now an independent sports publicist in suburban Chicago, has every reason to be proud of his son.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers the game for Forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Here’s The Pitch, and many other outlets. His hardcover Hank Aaron biography comes out in April. Contact Dan via ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia: Making Sense of Hall of Fame Hats
Andre Dawson wants the Hall of Fame to replace the Expos cap on his plaque with a Cubs logo but probably won’t get his wish . . .
Most of the Hall of Famers who played before World War II did not have logos on their caps — or on their bronze hats in Cooperstown . . .
Yogi Berra, who won 10 World Series rings with the Yankees, has no logo either . . .
Greg Maddux started and ended his career with the Cubs but won three Cy Youngs with the Braves so his hat is blank too . . .
At various times, picked their own plaque hats though the Hall of Fame is the final arbiter these days.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.