Back on June 8, 2010, the young phenom marched onto the mound at Nationals Park and validated his selection as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, fanning 14 batters through seven innings to claim the victory.
Two years and one reconstructive elbow surgery later, not much has changed for Strasburg. Amid the circus atmosphere at Fenway –– and against one of the most potent lineups in the American League –– the 23-year-old absolutely dominated the Red Sox.
Through six innings in Friday's 7-2 win, Strasburg stifled everyone from Dustin Pedroia to Jarrod Saltalamacchia en route to racking up 13 strikeouts. With the exception of Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Podsednik, he punched out every starter at least once.
"He's got good stuff," Gonzalez said of Strasburg. "We knew what we were expecting. We've seen enough of it on TV and on video. We know what we're going up against. I thought we did a good job, but he was a better man out there."
It was business as usual for the Nationals hurler. Despite allowing a two-run double to Mike Aviles in the second inning, Strasburg buckled down and started mixing a blazing fastball along with a knee-buckling curveball.
By tying his season-high in strikeouts, Strasburg simultaneously earned respect as one of baseball's elite pitchers from the Red Sox. Ryan Sweeney bestowed the honor, likening the ace's approach to last season's American League MVP.
"He’s like a [Detroit pitcher Justin] Verlander that he starts out throwing 97-98 the whole game," Sweeney said. "He has good command. It’s tough with a guy like that, when he can throw strikes in and out, you’ve got to just pick one side of the plate when you're hitting."
That was a challenge for the team's hitters all night long. From the third to the end of the fifth, Strasburg retired 11 straight Red Sox batters, including fanning seven of eight batters at one point.
"He's special," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "He’s a very good pitcher, obviously.”
Had he not exhausted a bevy of pitches in the second inning, he likely could've gone deeper into the game. Instead, the Red Sox received a stroke of luck when Strasburg exited after throwing a career-high 119 pitches.
"I knew pitch count was up there but I had so much adrenaline being first time at Fenway, it didn’t really matter," Strasburg said. "It was good to see all the young guys here rise and know they’re going to be playing one of most historic ballparks."
With the dazzling display, Strasburg became the first pitcher to strike out at least 13 batters at Fenway Park since Mike Mussina crossed that plateau for the Yankees –– when he was one out away from a no-hitter –– on Sept 2, 2001.
After this effort, Red Sox showered Strasburg with praise for thriving on the big Boston platform. And it was a fitting way for him to celebrate the two-year anniversary of his debut.
Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
