Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Thursday 28 March 2019

In this Feb. 16, 2019, file photo, Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer throws a bullpen session during spring training baseball practice, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Associated Press

TODAY’S BASEBALL pitchers are no longer born ings.com. thing I've got over these only time where it makes
Continued from Page 17 with shoulders or elbows Cole was a member of that 105, 110 pitches.' The deci- sense to think, 'We still need
Stars of the 1960s and '70s capable of producing group in 2018, which also sion becomes pretty easy our best guy in there, and
such as Bob Gibson, Steve complete games, but that included his teammate Jus- for the manager to say, 'I'm it's not a save situation.'"
Carlton or Jim Palmer their teams simply won't let tin Verlander, NL Cy Young going to go to one of my As with everything in pro-
would top 20 complete them even try and gener- Award winner Jacob de- wipeout bullpen guys.'" fessional sports these days,
games in a year. In the '90s, ally don't properly prepare Grom of the New York Mets, Scherzer has been known it's all about what the num-
Pedro Martinez, Greg Mad- them to do so. and three-time Cy Young to lobby to remain in at bers dictate.
dux and Randy Johnson "Everyone," Atlanta Braves recipient Max Scherzer of key late-game moments. And there are calculations
would get to 10 or 12 or so. right-hander Kevin Gaus- the Nationals. He's as competitive as connected to saving up
Last year, no one threw man summed up, "is ob- "They're really holding start- they come. Yet he says he strength for the postsea-
more than two complete sessed with pitch count ers down to 100 pitches grasped early in his career son, too; if NBA players sit
games. No one delivered now." and not letting you go past that all that truly matters is out entire regular-season
more than one shutout. It's a trend that seemed to that. If you do, maybe you that his team wins — not games for "load manage-
"The special, elite guys are gain steam in the 2000s, not get 110. But you rarely see how it happens. ment," why shouldn't a
still able achieve it and coincidentally as more and guys get to 120 anymore," His initial complete game pitcher head to the club-
want to achieve it," Wash- more pitchers were getting Scherzer said. "If an inning arrived in his 179th big house a little early?
ington Nationals general elbow injuries that required takes 15 pitches, you get to league start; he has 10 over Bullpens are built to get the
manager Mike Rizzo said. "I Tommy John surgery. 105 after seven and that's the past five seasons. last six or nine outs, and it's
don't think we'll ever see it Don't let most guys throw about all you get. The data "There were opportuni- OK for a starter to become
disappear completely, but too hard for too long, the shows that once you get ties where I could have conditioned to go six or
it's definitely becoming a thinking goes. past 105, 110, that's when pitched one sooner. But it seven innings.
rarity." "There's a general pullback you do start losing your ef- didn't matter. I could have That starts happening in the
So what happened? Vari- in the industry, because fectiveness, no matter how gone back out there, but minors, when pitchers are
ous factors contributed to they couldn't comprehend good of a starter you are." we're winning by 10 or 11 pulled as soon as they show
the decline of dominant, why so many people were In this age of hard-throwing runs, so why go pitch the signs of fatigue.
nine-inning performances getting hurt. The biggest relievers and lefty special- ninth? So I can say that I did By the time they get to the
on the mound, from in- mass effect you can have ists, a team would rather it? No, then I'm hurting the majors, they're not used to
jury fears to an increased is workload," Houston Astros have someone fresh pitch team. It would be a selfish working through that.
emphasis on accumulat- righty Gerrit Cole said. "Just than a player laboring for accomplishment," Scherzer "We have a way of trying to
ing bullpen arms, from the overall, clubs are kind of hours. said. "There's times where if evolve as an industry that's
newfangled "opener" strat- doing a risk analysis. ... They "Everybody's coming in you can get a rest, take it. taken out a little bit of the
egy of using a reliever to are trying to be smarter throwing gas. Are you re- You're actually helping the 'machismo' that goes with
get things underway to pro- about it and disburse the ally that much better than team more by not doing it." the complete game," As-
tecting young pitchers in load a little bit to some oth- those guys down there at He also pointed to another tros manager A.J. Hinch
such a way that they never er guys." that point in time?" Scher- element: the score. said. "I'm not sure if that's
build up an ability to stay in Merely six starters averaged zer said. "That's where you "The sweet spot to throw a good or bad, but it's part of
until the end of games. at least 100 pitches per out- have to be honest with complete game now is be- the evolution of analytics
Still, the basic sense around ing last season, down from yourself and your manager ing up three or four runs," being applied at a higher
the sport is that it's not that 43 in 2011, per TeamRank- and say, 'I've given every- Scherzer said. "That's the rate across the board."q