The Stephen Strasburg craze is going full throttle with no end in sight.
The Washington National's rookie pitcher has taken the baseball world by storm.
Strasburg signed a record $15.
1 million contract with the Nationals on August 17, 2009, only 77 seconds before the signing deadline.
ESPN called him the "most-hyped pick in draft history".
Strasburg played college ball at San Diego State University.
As a sophomore in 2008 he posted an 8-3 record with a 1.
57 ERA.
He struck out 133 batters in 97 1/3 innings.
In 2009, his final collegiate season,he went 13-1 with a 1.
32 ERA and had 195 strikeouts in 109 innings.
In his final home start on May 8, 2009, he pitched his first career no-hitter and struck out 17 Air Force hitters.
After being the top overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, he was assigned to the Harrisburg, Pa.
, Double A team at the start of the 2010 season.
After pitching only 22 innings in Double A ball, he was sent to the Triple A Syracuse Chiefs.
In his Triple A debut he pitched six scoreless innings, struck out six, allowed one hit and issued one walk.
His entire minor league career consisted of 55 1/3 innings pitched, 65 strikeouts,13 walks,a record of 7-2 and an ERA of 1.
30.
Strasburg made his major league baseball debut on June 8, 2010.
But on May 29,2010 a bidder paid $16,403.
00 for one of Strasburg's rookie baseball cards on eBay.
The hype surrounding this rookie phenom was so great it astounded even the most seasoned baseball aficionados.
Strasburg however lived up to the hype in his first major league start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He went 7 innings, struck out a team record 14 batters and issued no walks.
He was the first pitcher in history to strike out at least eleven batters without issuing any walks in his major league debut.
He also picked up his first win in the major leagues.
More than 78,000 Strasburg jerseys had been sold through July 1, making his jersey the top-selling Washington Nationals jersey of all time.
Many baseball fans were disappointed however when he was not selected for the 2010 All Star game.
His record at the break was 3-2 with a 2.
32 ERA.
In 42 2/3 innings he allowed 32 hits, 12 runs, 11 earned runs and 3 home runs.
He struck out 61 batters and walked 11.
Maybe with a little more run support, he would have made the All Star team.
With the second half of the season still to come, Strasburg could set even more records, both on and off the field.