John Lannan was the definition of a crafty lefty. He gained a lot of fans for not pitching around Barry Bonds in 2007, when Bonds was going after the all-time home run record. While Bonds would claim the record later in the series against the Nationals, it wouldn’t come at the hands of Lannan.
Lannan debuted for the Nationals in 2007 and quickly became one of the most reliable starters on a team which consistently finished in the bottom or near the bottom, in the National League East Division.
He was a hard nosed, underdog-type, who came out of the 11th round in the 2005 draft, and worked his way to the Big Show in just two years.