As the Sept. 6 Nationals game came to a start, only a fraction of an expected sellout crowd made their way to a soaking wet Nationals Park. After a day of torrential downpour, fair weather conditions fell on Washington D.C, leaving the bad weather and most Nationals fans who were supposed to attend the game behind. The fans who were brave enough to fare the aftermath of a rainy day at the ballpark, however, were in for a treat. Stephen Strasburg was set to make his post injury debut that night.

Strasburg made his comeback September 6 after missing a season and a half of play due to a Tommy John surgery. In his post injury debut Strasburg threw five innings, on only 53 pitches. Looking like his old self, Strasburg let up only four hits, allowed no runs and also had four strikeouts.

The comeback debut performance by Strasburg was a great performance for his first time back. Besides a few low curveballs, Strasburg was in control of his stuff, and looked comfortable on the mound.

Although the performance was good, given the circumstances of the game, it is not a snapshot of what the rest of Strasburg’s career is to become. However, there is hope. In his second start this season, Strasburg started off the game with a 31 pitch first inning, a poor start for a pitcher. However, in the next two innings, he was dominant.

It is difficult to rate the performance. It appeared as though everything began to click in those final two innings of his outing, but for a starter, only throwing three innings is tough to judge.

In his rookie season, Strasburg threw 92 strikeouts and had a 2.91 ERA in three months of play. In his MLB debut, Strasburg had 14 strikeouts, and only let up two runs on four hits. The performance was dubbed the best pitching debut since 1971.

In the past, there have been mixed results among pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery. Many of baseball’s great pitchers of the past two decades underwent the surgery: Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera (possibly the best reliever in the history of baseball), Cardinals pitcher and 2005 Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter and an MLB all time great John Smoltz all underwent the procedure and were able to return to their typical form.

On the other hand, some of the MLB’s best pitchers were unable to comeback from the surgery. Kerry Wood started off well after his surgery, but soon declined in talent. Mike Hampton was never able to fully recover from the surgery.

So the question remains, will Stephen Strasburg follow in the footsteps of Mariano Rivera and move onto pitching greatness, or will he never be the same as he was in his illustrious rookie year? Only time will tell, but it seems as though he has the drive and skill to make a successful return.