Strasburg's bow draws record cable ratings

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Washington's regional cable TV sports network MASN said Wednesday it garnered record ratings for the debut of Nationals rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

Strasburg made his highly anticipated major league bow Tuesday at Nationals Park, striking out a franchise-record 14 batters and leading the Nats to a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

MASN said preliminary overnight Nielsen ratings showed that the game set a new record high rating for the network, earning a 7.1 HH rating, meaning more than 165,000 households in the Washington region tuned in to watch Strasburg's historic performance.

"For a Tuesday night in June against the Pirates, these ratings are simply stunning," said MASN spokesman Todd Webster. "Considering the Nationals were up against Game 3 of the NBA Finals, there is still room for ratings growth."

The telecaster said ratings for the Nationals are up 66 percent year-over-year and in May set a record during back-to-back games against the New York Mets, which earned 2.0 HH ratings.