Strasburg

WASHINGTON - Over-hyped? Are you kidding? Stephen Strasburg went beyond the hype — and anyone’s reasonable expectations — by striking out 14 batters in his electric major league debut.

With a standing-room-only crowd cheering every pitch, the Washington Nationals phenom put on a dazzling display of power pitching Tuesday night in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. His heaters reached 100 mph, and batters found his nasty curveballs nearly impossible to hit.

“I just wanted to go out and soak up everything. It only happens once and I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” Strasburg said.