Friday was the Long-Rumored Night Stephen Strasburg Was Supposed To Hit Town, and I bought tickets to see the Nats in anticipation of that event. The team had other plans; wisely, it’s waiting until a midweek game next week against the weak Pirates, rather than a Friday night spotlight against one of the National League’s best teams, to introduce the kid to the big leagues.

But me and about 30,000 other people decided to show up anyway, and for once, there was a real major league atmosphere in the park. Livan Hernandez was not a bad Strasburg substitute, although he threw some pitches that literally got close to half of the speed at which the kid can hurl. The Nats eked out a largely dull 4-2 win that was enlivened only by the crazy-assed antics of ump Joe West, who is spending far too much time in the headlines this year.

Mostly, though, I enjoyed the sensation of watching real major league baseball with a real major-league-size crowd. Just think: If the Nats continue to live up to their promise, it could be like this fairly regularly. You might even see crowds of 40,000 or more. There could be a buzz.

Of course, I’ve been waiting for that for nearly six years, ever since the overachieving Nats of Year One somehow managed to lead the National League East for nearly half a season. It feels close now, though. And I look forward to many more nights like Friday.