Stephen Strasburg looked at the success pitchers like Yu Darvish and Carlos Carrasco enjoyed pitching out of the stretch and ditching the full windup, looked into it over the winter, talked to Washington Nationals’ Pitching Coach Mike Maddux, and decided to explore making changes as he prepares for his eighth major league season.
On Friday afternoon in West Palm Beach, Florida, Strasburg tossed two scoreless on the mound against St. Louis in the brand new Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, striking out three Cardinals’ batters while working exclusively out of the stretch for each of his 23 pitches.