No, that's not a typo. Stephen Strasburg has hit the first home run of his major league career.
And boy, did Nats Park ever explode when the ball landed in the visitors bullpen in left-center field.
Strasburg took an 0-2 curveball from Wei-Yin Chen and dropped the barrel to it, sending it out and bringing another near-capacity crowd to its feet.
The 23-year-old hurler took a slow trot around the bases and entered a dugout filled with smiling teammates. After the crowd requested a curtain call, Strasburg obliged, popping out to the top step of the dugout and giving the fans a wave.
Really cool moment here in the nation's capital.
Those of us who have seen Strasburg in the cage in batting practice aren't surprised he took one out. He has some pop, and it was only a matter of time before he went yard eventually.
It's the first homer by a Nats pitcher since Sept. 3 of last year, when Tommy Milone went yard.
The solo shot gave the Nationals a 5-3 lead and also provided the rare back-to-back homers from battery members. One hitter before Strasburg, catcher Jesus Flores smacked a solo shot to right-center, his first homer of the season.
Oh, and don't look now, but Strasburg has really settled into a groove on the mound.
After a rocky start, Strasburg has retired 10 straight Orioles hitters, striking out seven of them, as we go to the bottom of the fifth.
Update: It's now a 6-3 Nats lead as we go to the eighth after Washington tacked on one in the fifth on an Ian Desmond RBI single.
Tom Gorzelanny did a nice job in relief of Strasburg, who was pulled after five innings despite the fact he failed to allow a runner from the third inning on. Strasburg allowed the three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk through his five frames. He struck out five.
Gorzelanny faced just one over the minimum in his two innings and did a nice job serving as the bridge to the back of the 'pen.
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