HOW DID THE PITCH COUNT BECOME SUCH AN ISSUE?

I have been a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins Baseball Team now for 20 seasons and have seen the pitch count for starting pitchers become such a factor that teams have to carry 12 to 14 pitchers on their roster to get through the long 162-game baseball schedule.  

My pitching career spanned from 1970 to 1992 and the only thing I witnessed was going from a 4-man starting staff to a 5-man staff, which started in the late 70’s, and the addition of the designated hitter rule in the American League.  In the early 70’s, with a 4-man staff, clubs would carry between 9 and 10 pitchers on their 25-man roster.  Think about this!  Managers had 6 or 7 extra players on his bench to make necessary moves throughout a game.  In todays’ game a manager has 3 or 4 extra players on his bench.

Beginning the 1973 season the American League adopted the designated hitter rule.  This was put into play because the League wanted more offense and also allowed the starting pitcher to go deeper into the game as they didn’t need to come to bat throughout the game, which I loved!  Quality starters were averaging 270 to 300+ innings a season.  There was no pitch count then!  Usually the opposing hitters let you know when your day was done, not a pitch count!

I do believe athletes today are bigger and stronger and in NO WAY am I downgrading todays starting pitchers in this article.

Starters today are now conditioned to accept the fact that the 100-pitch count has made most of them 6 or 7 inning pitchers.  Should a starter accept this and/or are there ways to get back to complete games?  I believe there is a way.

I always believed that the first (3) innings were the most important innings for a pitcher to be able to go deeper into the game.  First you have to establish your fastball and show the home plate umpire that you could hit your spots, meaning hitting your catcher’s glove wherever he sat up behind the plate.  You have to attack early in the game because your fastball should be at its highest velocity.  Your breaking ball and changeup usually are your secondary pitches and you need to get ahead in the count to make them more effective.  As I mentioned above we didn’t have pitch counts but I would imagine I wanted to end 3 innings by using between 30 - 40 pitches.  

If a pitcher can control his first 3 innings with a low pitch count there is a good chance he can pitch deeper into the game and keep the relievers in the bullpen! 
    

I personally have watched too many pitchers run out of gas in the 5^th and 6^th innings.  Why?  Too many pitches in a short amount of time or is it because they cannot find their 2^nd or 3^rd wind?  You throw a baseball with your arm but it’s your leg strength that controls how long you last in a game!  I always felt that my arm never got tired as long as my legs didn’t get tired.  Running distance was my conditioning for my legs.  If I had a bad outing I would run more between starts to make sure my legs didn’t get tired.  Believe me I ran a lot over my career!   Riding a stationary bike never helped me.  I started and finished in the same place!  Go outside and run!  That is the best way to build up leg strength and endurance for the needed 2^nd or 3^rd wind throughout a game!

 I also believe it has become more of a mental game for starters then a physical game.  Whoever came up with the 100-pitch count was probably someone who never pitched.  I only wish, whoever they are, would have said 120 pitches.  Why?

Let’s say a starter has pitched 5 innings and has thrown between 80 and 85 pitches.  I guarantee you that he looks up at the scoreboard, after the inning, and sees his pitch count in the low 80’s.  Don’t you think he images that he has only one more inning left?  He may have retired the last 6 batters in order but the thought of his pitch count overtakes his thought of going deeper into the game.  If the pitch count was at 120 he wouldn’t even look to see where his pitch count was!

I know that clubs and pitching coaches protect starter arms with the 100-pitch count.  There is so much money invested in starting pitching today and they are looking for all 5 starters to pitch at least 200 innings throughout the season.  Baseball has also protected pitchers by saying that a “Quality Start” is when a starter pitches 6 innings or more and gives up 3 earned runs or less.  Let’s see; 6 innings and 3 earned runs is a 4.50 era!  Calvin Griffith is rolling over in his grave!   To me, a “Quality Start” is 7 innings and 2 earned runs or less.

Guess the part that upsets me the most is that pitchers have accepted the current pitch count.  Very seldom do we read of a starter upset about coming out of a game.  All I hear is that “I did my job”!  Going to work from 8 to 2 is a great job, isn’t it?  I want the guy that wants to go to work from 8 to 5.