Washington Nationals’ pitcher Stephen Strasburg held a press conference Friday afternoon to confirm that he will need to have Tommy John surgery and thus will be out for the foreseeable future.
Still, the 22-year-old took the podium with poise and explained that the injury is definitely not the end of the line for the young phenom’s career.
He admitted that it was “kind of a shock,” but seemed to be ready to get back on the field as soon as possible.
“It’s a new challenge for me,” Strasburg said. “It’s a chance to not worry about throwing.”
“I want to be the best at everything,” he went on to say, “And right now, I’m going to be the best at rehabbing.”
The pitcher didn’t seem all that interested in talking a lot about the injury, though, preferring instead to focus on the future.
“If I think about it, I’ll eat myself up. I have to let it go and move on,” Strasburg went on to say. “If I keep looking for an explanation, it’s just going to eat at me.”
Strasburg will leave tomorrow for surgery in Los Angeles and plans to start rehabilitation as soon as possible.
Nationals manager Jim Riggleman then took the podium and said that he found out about the injury prior to Thursday night’s game.
Most surprisingly, Riggleman noted that he is “surprised more pitchers don’t end up having surgery.”