Strasburg lives up to first-game hype

Wow.
STEPHEN STRASBURG made his Major-League debut tonight, and the WASHINGTON NATIONALS' pitching phenom did not disappoint.
I listened on 1500 AM WFED (via MLB.com) as the right-hander pitched seven innings, striking out 14 -- including the final seven in a row -- as the Nationals beat the PIRATES, 5-2.
Glancing at the newsroom TVs today, it was difficult to escape seeing the hype generated by Strasburg's debut.
The 21-year-old San Diego native starred at San Diego State and in the Olympics before being drafted first overall by Washington in the 2008 draft.
This year, Strasburg's Triple-A starts made the sports highlight shows, so it was inevitable that his big-league debut would generate a buzz.
Listening to Strasburg make easy work of Pittsburgh, I thought that his performance provided one of those rare instances of the occasion matching the anticipation.
"And a curly W is in the books" is Nats' announcer Charlie Slowes' signature victory call. He made that call tonight, thanks in large part to Strasburg's outstanding pitching performance.