Gaslamp Ball, a San Diego Padres community

We talked about taking him out

"I would love to see him pitch here, he would love to pitch here," said Strasburg's San Diego State baseball coach, Tony Gwynn. "But it's out of your hands. I just want him to keep working and improving."

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left.