Nationals fans can now let out a collective sigh of relief: Stephen Strasburg has returned from Tommy John surgery, and the 2011 prototype looks just as good as the old one.
Strasburg left a game midway through last season due to pain in his elbow. Testing revealed a torn ligament in his throwing elbow, and he subsequently underwent Tommy John surgery to fix the problem.
The surgery, though routine, can produce varying results. Some pitchers return better than before, while some are never able to recover their skills at all. Luckily for Nationals fans, Strasburg has had no trouble and has returned at 100%, if not better.
His homecoming came earlier than anticipated, only a year and three days after surgery. In his return to the league, he threw five shut-out innings with only two hits allowed. His signature 90-mph change-up remained unhittable.
As of right now, Strasburg has played three games and is sporting a 1.29 era. The only thing we can hope for now is that the rest of team can pick it up.
