The countdown to Stephen Strasburg's pitching plug being pulled has been going on all season, although most people had to guess when the final, fateful date would be.
The Nationals made it official Sunday, with Washington manager Davey Johnson announcing that Strasburg's last start will be Sept. 12 against the Mets. He also said Strasburg would not be pitching in the playoffs, which the Nationals are a near lock for at 81-52, leading the National East by 6 1/2 games with a record that's good for second overall in the league going into Monday.
Strasburg went six innings in the Nationals' win on Sunday, allowing two hits, no runs and striking out nine as Washington beat the Cardinals 4-3. He has now pitched 156 1/3 innings, putting him two starts away from the fabled 160 to 180 innings that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has been planning to keep him at this year after Tommy John surgery.
"We had parameters in place at the beginning of the season," Rizzo reiterated. "We have our philosophies, protocols, and that seemed like the right number of innings to end the season in."
Johnson said the team has dealt with missing players throughout the year due to injuries and will be fine without Strasburg.
Strasburg said Sunday that he hadn't talked with Johnson or Rizzo about the decision but planned to. He has said several times that he didn't want to be put on an innings limit this year, although he didn't pull any stunts to try to trick the innings count so he could pitch in the postseason.
Strasburg, in his third season with Washington, is 15-6 this season with a 2.94 ERA and 195 strikeouts.
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