Aug 18, 2009 3:14 PM EST

Stephen Strasburg signed his record-setting, four-year, $15.1-million contract only 77 seconds before midnight.

If Strasburg hadn?t signed by then, he would have re-entered the draft next year. Instead of cursing Strasburg and hard-nosed agent Scott Boras this morning, Nats fans can hope better days are coming.

Via Wall Street Journal