Baseball Pitchers: Pitch Count Rule

Wow, since the inception of the Little League Pitch Count Rule, I have heard many coaches complain about it. Many say they hope Little League will go back to the Innings Rule. I imagine It is not that the coaches don’t like to count, they just don’t like to think about what pitcher they might have to bring in to replace the one they have out there. Especially if what they have waiting in the outfield or at third base, or wherever, is not as effective as the pitcher that is on the mound. Do you really think coaches care as much about the pitcher as they do the game?

Think about this, before the Pitch Count Rule, and this was a fairly typical scenario, the pitcher is throwing strikes. He is not a dominating pitcher, but he is throwing strikes. He throws an average of four pitches to each hitter he faces. His pitches get put into play. And okay, he walks the occasional batter. All that is okay on the face of it, but supposing a couple of those balls that get put into play are base hits. A couple of hit balls just get past the outstretched glove of the infielders, a line drive carries into the outfield. As the saying says, the hitters hit the ball “where they ain’t”. Fine. But now, consider that a ball is hit to the shortstop, error. A fly ball is dropped by an outfielder. Let’s add these up. And, let’s give the pitcher two outs. By the way, all this might sound disastrous, but only two runs have scored. Three of those hitters are on base.

So, the two outs were gotten on 8 total pitches.

One infield error, 4 pitches.

One outfield error, 4 pitches.

Supposing the pitcher has walked a batter. Let’s say 5 pitches.

Now, remember those hits? 12 pitches.

Okay, count the total pitches. 33. That’s in one inning. And the pitcher is not even out of the inning.

If you know Little League baseball, you know that this is more the norm than not, especially with a less than stellar pitcher on the mound or infield behind him. Remember, these players are just now beginning to learn the game and all its subtleties, not to mention properly positioning themselves and their glove while making their plays.

Now, let’s say the pitcher gets the final out on 1 pitch. His 34th. 34 pitches and his team hasn’t even come to bat.

How long do you think it will take that pitcher to reach a 100 pitches? Somewhere in the 4th inning if he is lucky.

Now, supposing he reaches that 4th inning and he begins to tire and begins to lose control of the strike zone. It is worth pointing out here that when a pitcher tires, he loses location first, then velocity. And losing control of the strike zone doesn’t always mean the pitcher is throwing high pitches, or low pitches, or pitches in or off the plate. It also means he throws the ball right down the middle of the plate, just where the hitter likes it. What do you think is going to happen to those pitches? Lots of line drives and hard ground balls, I’d say. Even a weak hitter, given a ball down the middle, is going to hit it hard somewhere.

So it stands to reason that as the game moves along, the pitcher’s innings will get longer and his pitch count will rise. I don’t even like to think how many pitches pitchers were throwing before the Little League went to the Pitch Count Rule. Is it any wonder that in the last ten years, surgery on Little League pitchers increased by 700 percent?

High school pitchers are not so protected. Last spring I watched a game in the cold and frigid April northeast. The freshman pitcher threw 109 pitches on Opening Day and won, and then sat on the bench for the rest of the season with tendonitis. When the coach was asked about letting his pitcher stay out that long, he said the pitcher should have been ready. Should have been ready? Most Major League pitchers who work for six weeks in Spring Training are not ready to throw that many pitches their first game.

Do you really think coaches care as much about the pitcher as they do the game? Little League baseball obviously thought not, therefore, the Pitch Count Rule.

Baseball players, as is the case with all athletes, perform at their highest level when they are relaxed. When an athlete's mind is clear his body is free to move freely. When a body is moving freely, he is able to perform at his highest level.

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“That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you.”

---Lao Tsu.