WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The highly-anticipated Major League Baseball debut of Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is set for June 8, the team announced on Monday.
Strasburg, who stands 6-foot-4 and has a high-velocity fastball and good off-speed pitches, is scheduled to make his final Minor League start on Thursday before taking the mound in the Majors for the first time against Pittsburgh.
The 21-year-old was the first overall pick in the 2009 first-year player draft and has been outstanding in Minor League competition, posting a 6-2 record with a 1.43 ERA and 60 strikeouts.
"We had a plan in place since spring training," Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said on the team's website (washington.nationals.mlb.com). "We like that Stephen could bounce back from tough outings. We believe he is ready to go."
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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