The Washington Nationals have been surprisingly good this season.
Many thought they could be the worst team in baseball entering the year.
But that has been nowhere near the case.
Washington has competed throughout the season and given their talent they have a respectable 65-82 record.
Throughout the last month of the season, the Nationals have decided to give some of their prospects a chance.
One player who recently debuted was starting pitcher Jackson Rutledge.
He did not record the win in his debut, which is nothing new with the Nationals.
According to Mark Zuckerman, Rutledge became the 17th consecutive Nationals starting pitcher to not earn the win in his MLB debut.
Jackson Rutledge becomes the 17th consecutive Nationals starting pitcher to not earn the win in his MLB debut. Last guy to do it: Stephen Strasburg. Barring a major comeback, everyone since will be 0-11 with 6 no-decisions.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) September 13, 2023
The last pitcher to earn a win in his debut was Stephen Strasburg.
He happened to have one of the best debuts for a pitcher in MLB history.
So that is what it took for him to get a win.
This is a bizarre streak, but it is often difficult for rookies to have success in their debut.
Also, the Nationals have not been very good over the last few years.
Which made wins hard to come by.
Also, with teams handling young pitchers very carefully, it is more difficult to get a win.
You must pitch at least five innings to be able to record a win.
But many rookies do not even get the chance to go that far in their debut.
Rutledge only threw 3.2 innings in his debut before being pulled.
This odd streak will end at some point, but it does not look like it will be this year.
NEXT: Insider Notes Consistency In The Nationals Front Office