(Getty Images via daylife)
It wasn t just that the Washington Nationals won on opening day. It was the way they did it.
The super hyped super talented tandem of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg pretty much carried the Nats to a 2 0 season opening win over the Miami Marlins by themselves on Monday. Strasburg the hard throwing righty tossed seven shutout innings. Harper the 20 year old outfield phenom belted two solo home runs to provide all the scoring. Harper became the first player in franchise history dating back to the club s inaugural 1969 season in Montreal to homer in his first two at bats of a season.
A crowd of over 45 000 above the listed capacity of Nationals Park not only got a win they saw their pre season expectations met (or even surpassed). The buzz surrounding the Nationals following last year s playoff season revolves around the two youngsters putting on a show as much as it revolves around winning. The team didn t get much offense yesterday beyond Harper s two bombs just three singles and no runs but Strasburg s gem on the mound made the lead stand up.
The game had national ramifications too. Harper s big day had him all over twitter and various TV highlight reels during a big opening day showcase around the majors. Yankees Red Sox Dodgers Giants It all took a backseat to Harper. Washington D.C. was baseball s capital on Monday.
And make no mistake showcase wise Harper is the bigger of the two phenoms. As good as Strasburg is and as much as his heralded big league debut three years ago brought throngs of people returns have diminished lately. By 2012 attendance was only marginally higher for his starts than it was for an average Nationals game.
Strasburg brings some extra fans but Harper the everyday guy plays lead. He s the one who brings the added dimension of the unknown with less than a full big league season under his belt people want to see just how good he can be eventually. Strasburg you get the sense has already peaked or come close.
Watching a star rise right in front of you is fun. USA Today pointed to that factor to argue that Harper already rivals LeBron James on a list of must see athletes. That may be unfair pressure on a 20 year old but it s probably true. If the Nationals do manage to parlay their new bandwagon of fans into the stadium naming rights deal they ve so far failed to land you ll know why.
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