HOUSTON -- When Stephen Strasburg made his first major league start for the Washington Nationals, on June 8, 2010, fans lined up outside Nationals Park hours before the game -- some waiting since morning for the Tuesday night game. Team officials referred to the game as "Strasmas," the highly anticipated debut of the pitcher the Nationals had drafted a year earlier, a player many scouts had called the greatest pitching prospect they had ever seen.
The Nationals issued more than 200 media credentials and hired extra security guards and ushers. More than 40,000 fans packed the ballpark -- the Nationals would draw under 19,000 the next day -- and watched their new pitcher dominate the Pirates over seven innings.