Iron Arm - Pitcher throws 172 pitches in win

to the pitcher "nice game kid"

to the coach "man are you kidding me"

i'm all for the winning is winning philosophy but not above the risk of a players health.

 

172 pitches??????

Asking any pitcher to throw 172 pitches "DEFINITELY" falls into the category of a coach who cares NOTHING about the well-being of his players' health or future. Arms in the major leagues which are fully developed and have the best conditioning in the world,,, don't go out and throw 172 pitches.

Some coaches simply care more about winning a darn ballgame,,, and this is a prime example...

p.s. The sad thing about this, is that we've all seen daddies do similar things to their "own" sons by overpitching them or throwing too many curveballs when their sons were still in little league.

 

I'ts hard to say which showed more muscle the young man's pitching arm or his coach's head. One thing I can tell you this kid wouldn't throw that much if he was my son.

 

That's incredible. I can't believe that a coach would leave a pitcher in for that long. I know many pitchers (including myself) who hurt their arms partly due to overthrowing. The coach should seriously reevaluate the game. That's just amazing to me that someone would put a teenager's arm in jeopardy just for a baseball game.

 

There used to be a rule where a pitcher can only pitch so many innings in some much time. I wonder if there is a rule or one in the works to number of pitches rather than innings pitched.

I thought it was 10 innings in 72 hours, but I might be wrong. In theory that could be 30 pitches. I would worry more about a pitcher throwing 172 pitches rather than 10 innings. Something isn't quite right about that.

 

Down South....EXCELLENT point! That makes so much more sense! Pitch count vs innings!
You're a Genius!

 

I am a little surprised that you guys are showing amazement at this thread. It happens all the time. I ran into a young man I coached when he was 6 and 7 last year. His coach (a MECA8, Mecklenburg County coach) had him throw a complete game, 141 pitches, not counting warmups and everything else, the very first game of the year. This was in February, guys! It is up to the parents to control their pitchers, DO NOT EVER count on the coach. I know some coaches will be offended by this statement and to the ones who would never do this, I apologize in advance. For the ones who do this to their young charges, be ashamed.

By the way, when I ran into this young man, he was telling me his velocity was down and his arm hurt all the time. And he has never had arm problems.

 

I was at the Mount Pleasant vs. Monroe game tonight and there starter and only pitcher threw at least 120 pitches and if that is being on the safe side of estimating. I think this is a situation where letters need to be written to the school and ad. A kid is really gonna get hurt there.

 

It is (in my opinion) the pitcher's responsibility to come forward and tell the coach that he can/ should not go any further in a ball game. He is the only one who knows how his body is feeling and what kind of shape he is in. In saying this, I recognize that many initial reactions will be that "a pitcher who is a true competitor will pitch until he is removed from the game". However, the sooner that a player learns to trust his teammates (relief pitchers) and that his career is not based on the outcome of that game, but the many healthy years that lie ahead are, the better off he will be.

It is NOT the parents' job to approach a coach or a player during the game. This is why I say this:

1. It is a distraction to the entire team. This game is tough enough as it is and one thing you cannot afford to have is something to distract you and the team from the task at hand.

2. The parent is a spectator. When you pay admission, you are paying to observe the game, not coach it. However the coaches may have earned the position, it does not matter. They have been hired to coach the team and that should be respected. I know for a fact that parents would not want an outsider coming into their office and telling them how to do their business. It is disrespectful.

3. When a player is a freshman in high school, they are allowed to have a learners permit to drive a car. Now, if a 15 year old can have the responsibility of driving a car, they must have the responsibility to come forward when they know that it is in their best interest to come out of a ball game. It is a lesson of life that must be learned by a player and the longer that the player has their parents' communicating issues with a coach, the amount of problems and distractions from having fun playing the game will pile up and pile up until the player breaks and can no longer have fun and be successful. I have seen it TOO MANY times.

These are the three main things that came to me at the moment, I am sure that when I submit this, more will come, but that is usually how it works.

All in all, I cringe at the thought of my peers having their careers and immediate health damaged, but it is my peers job to take responsiblity for themselves and take the necessary actions that are in his best interest. It is okay to be selfish when it comes to your own health.

That is all I got for right now, I hope that my opinions did not offend anyone, that was not my intention. However, I take responsibility for the things that I say.

 

But at the same time, what competitive young man is going to tell his coach he is hurting? A coach has to have enough sense to stop this at some point and if the kid doesn't know when to draw the line, then someone needs to step in. If my kid is throwing this many pitches and the coach is allowing it and my kid isn't saying anything, then I'm gonna step in, like it or not!