Strasburg pitched for the United States national baseball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.

[7] Strasburg led the National League (NL) in strikeouts in 2014, pitching an average fastball of 94.8 miles per hour that year.

A 12-strikeout game against El Capitan High School in his senior year, in which Strasburg allowed just one hit, drew attention from scouts.

[22] On April 11 of that year, he struck out a Mountain West Conference record 23 batters in a game versus the University of Utah.

[18] Strasburg finished his junior year, the 2009 season, 13–1 with a 1.32 ERA, 59 hits allowed, 16 earned runs, 19 walks, and 195 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched.

[29] Strasburg was the lone collegiate player selected for the United States national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

[32] Strasburg ended up with a 1–1 record, a 1.67 ERA, and a bronze medal for the Olympics, as the United States won its following contest against Japan 8–4.

[38] He was selected to play in the league's Rising Stars Showcase, but was unable to participate due to a minor neck injury.

There was so much anticipation and hype surrounding Strasburg that there were about 70 credentialed media members in attendance at his April 11, 2010 debut,[42] and ESPN nationally broadcast portions of the game.

[43] He won his Senators debut against the Altoona Curve, allowing four hits and four runs (one earned), while striking out eight batters in five innings.

[64] On August 27, the Nationals announced that Strasburg had a torn ulnar collateral ligament, requiring Tommy John surgery, and about 12 to 18 months of rehabilitation.

[66] Strasburg made six rehab starts during the 2011 minor league season throwing a total of 20+1⁄3 innings, with 29 strikeouts, compiling a 3.49 ERA and a 1–1 record.

[68] On May 20, Strasburg went 2-for-2 as a hitter in a game against the Baltimore Orioles and hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of Wei-Yin Chen.

[70] On July 1, Strasburg was elected to his first All-Star Game, alongside teammates Gio González, Ian Desmond, and Bryce Harper.

In addition to baseball writers, a number of other figures made their views on the topic known, including football broadcasters Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw,[75] basketball reporter Stephen A. Smith,[76] and even prominent politicians such as Rudy Giuliani[77] and Mitch McConnell.

He pitched into the 8th inning for the first time in his big-league career on May 16, in a win against his hometown San Diego Padres, and in subsequent starts on May 26 and July 24.

[84] On August 11, 2013, Strasburg pitched his first career complete game, throwing a 6–0 shutout over the Philadelphia Phillies with 10 strikeouts and 4 hits.

[85] He was ejected for the first time in his MLB career on August 17, 2013 by umpire Marvin Hudson for intentionally pitching at Braves batter Andrelton Simmons in the second inning of a Nationals-Braves game.

Prior to the ejection, Hudson warned both teams after Strasburg hit Justin Upton with a first-pitch fastball following a Braves home run.

[88] With the extension, Strasburg became the first National to receive an opt-out clause in his contract, which allowed him to elect free agency after the 2019 or 2020 seasons if he desired.

[91] His streak of consecutive wins ran to 16, including 13 decisions in the 2016 season, before it was snapped by the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 21.

[102] In Game 2 of the 2019 National League Division Series, Strasburg allowed one run and struck out ten batters, earning the win.

[104] Strasburg finished the playoffs 5–0 with a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts and he and teammate Juan Soto were named co-winners of the Babe Ruth Award as the overall postseason MVPs.

[105] After winning the World Series, Strasburg opted out of the remaining four years on his contract and became a free agent for the first time in his career.

[107][108] In the contract, Strasburg has a specific request that Nationals Park stays open every day in the off-season so that he could continue to work out.

On July 27, it was announced that Strasburg would undergo surgery to alleviate neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, ending his 2021 season.

[115] On February 15, 2023, Strasburg did not report to spring training as scheduled due to a nerve-related setback in his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome.

[124][125] and a hybrid pitch he began using regularly in the 2016 season that his catcher Wilson Ramos described as a "slider-cutter", which moves laterally at 87–91 miles per hour (140–146 km/h).

[134] Independent scout Paul Reddick compared his mechanics unfavorably with those of pitching legend Greg Maddux, saying Strasburg's motion was inefficient and badly synchronized.

[143] On June 24, 2014, Strasburg stated in an interview that he was going to stop chewing tobacco in the wake of his college coach Tony Gwynn's death,[146] although he admitted to The Washington Post two years later that he had not yet completely kicked the addiction.