WASHINGTON — Finally, it’s beginning to look a lot like Strasmas again.
Stephen Strasburg is back, bringing with him a revival of that goose-bumpy, every-five- days holiday that transcended baseball a year ago.
“It was kind of forced upon us. You couldn’t turn on the TV,” Washington Nationals outfielder Jonny Gomes said. “I mean, you’re talking about ‘Good Morning America’ covering it. You couldn’t help but buy into the hype.”
Gomes watched the Strasburg phenomenon from afar in 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds, but he will have a front-and-center view when the 23-year-old right-hander returns tonight, starting for the Nationals against the Los Angeles Dodgers a little more than a year after having Tommy John surgery.
Weather permitting, of course. After months and months of rehab that would test anyone’s patience — plus six minor-league starts with four teams in four states — Strasburg might have to wait a little longer. The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of rain, and even a delay would probably scuttle the Strasburg plans and disappoint what is expected to be one of the few sellout crowds at Nationals Park this season.
“If he warms up and it rains, we’ll probably have to do it another day,” manager Davey Johnson said.
