World Series MVP Retires After Injury-Plagued Finish To Career

The numbers, when he was on the mound, were undeniably great. And it was capped off with a World Series MVP performance in 2019 for the Washington Nationals. Now, at the age of 35, Steven Strasburg has officially called it a career, two years after his last attempted comeback fell short. 

World Series MVP and 3x All-Star Stephen Strasburg is calling it a career after 13 Big League seasons.

Former teammate @markdero7 and the #MLBCentral crew reflect on Strasburg's career and the stamp it left on the Nationals franchise. pic.twitter.com/uyUjE01za0

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 8, 2024

In 13 major-league seasons (though really only eight full or nearly full years) across 247 starts, Strasburg compiled a 3.24 ERA along with a 1.09 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. 

He led the Nationals to their first World Series championship in 2019 going undefeated at 5-0 that postseason, including taking World Series MVP honors with two of the Nats victories over the Houston Astros. 

Strasburg was a three-time All-Star, and made a notable big league debut in 2010, after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, when he introduced himself to the majors with 14 strikeouts in his very first start a year later. He came into MLB as one of the greatest and most heralded pitching prospects in history.

The blemish on his career was the way it finished, with three completely injury played seasons, all after he had signed a seven-year, $245 million contract after the '19 World Series. 

According to reports, Strasburg will still receive the remaining $105 million owed from his original deal, meaning the Nationals got a measly eight starts and just one single victory for their $245 million. But the 2019 Series win does ease a lot of that sting. 

"I realized after repeated attempts to return to pitching, injuries no longer allow me to perform at a Major League level," Strasburg said in a statement announcing his retirement. "Although I will always wish there were more games to be pitched, I find comfort knowing I left it all out there for the only team I've ever known."