|
| Pitch count strikes balance in Little League By Mark Foyer [ markf@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:08 AM PDT In addition to bats, balls, helmets and catcher’s gear, add a counter to the list of equipment Little League baseball managers need. And some say the counter could be considered the most important item on the list. Little League changed the rules regarding pitchers following the 2006 season. Instead of counting the number of innings pitched per week, the rule changed to the number of pitches thrown in a game. The rule states pitchers ages 13-16 can throw up to 95 pitches per game, with 11- and 12-year-olds throwing a maximum of 85 pitches per game and those under 10 allowed to hurl up to 75 pitches per game. Pitchers who reach their limit are not allowed to catch in the same game. Catchers, however, are allowed to pitch in the same game, provided they don’t move from catcher to pitcher back to catcher. Half Moon Bay Little League officials made the rules even more strict, reducing the number of pitches by 10 per age group. The 2-year-old rule is here to stay. Half Moon Bay Little League players and board members say the rule does more than just keep the pitcher’s young arm healthy. “It helps develop other pitchers,” said Michele Blais, a member of the local league’s board of directors. “It’s nice to see other kids learn how to pitch.” Her older son, Matt, played for the Half Moon Bay Lions Club this year. Matt Blais, one of the top pitchers in the league, was involved in one of the most memorable games in Half Moon Bay Little League history earlier this month. He pitched 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball in a game with Comfort Inn. He allowed three hits and struck out 15. His counterpart, Brett Berghammer, allowed a hit and struck out 17, in 6 2/3 innings of work. The pitch limit ended the day early for both pitchers. Blais said he got his arm iced after the game. However, he has no problem with a pitch count, especially when he hears from his friends from other communities. “I have a friend whose arm got worn out after throwing too many pitches,” Blais said. “He had to put his arm in a brace. He’s still playing baseball. But he’s mostly playing either shortstop or first base.” Little League baseball added the pitch-count rule after receiving a report from USA Baseball. USA Baseball, founded in 1987, covers all level of baseball. The organization received a report from the American Sports Medicine Institute, an organization based in Alabama and devoted to learning about and preventing sports-related injuries. Dr. James Andrews, one of the country’s leading orthopedic surgeons and a member of ASMI, noticed an increase in the number of Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction surgeries, otherwise known as Tommy John surgery. The surgery, named after the former Major League Baseball pitcher, is the reconstruction of the pitcher’s torn ligament in his elbow. Andrews noted the number of surgeries he performed for high school and youth players went up from 19 between 1996 and 1999 to 146 between 2004 and 2007. “We made recommendations on pitcher’s safety,” said Dr. Glenn S. Fleisig, a researcher with ASMI. “Little League acted right away.” From removing the on-deck circle to preventing lead-off batters from swinging before stepping to the plate, Little League has demonstrated an interest in improving the safety of players. The pitch count rule was announced during the 2006 Little League World Series “This is the right time to make this change,” said Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO of Little League Baseball and Softball, in a 2006 press release. “We call upon all youth baseball organizations, including travel leagues, to implement their own pitch count programs in the interest of protecting young pitching arms. Our goal continues to be to educate everyone, particularly parents and coaches, on the potential injuries that can occur from throwing too many pitches.” Not all the leagues have followed the lead of the umbrella organization. Coastside resident Jennifer Freeman coached an under-12 team where the opposing pitcher threw more than 110 pitches in three innings. “Little League is right to have a pitch count for this age group,” Freeman said. “We are all very careful not to overpitch anyone.” No one is complaining about the pitch-count. “That’s one thing you can say about Little League,” said Rich Forslund, a Little League umpire. “They are all about the safety for the kids first. That’s a good thing.” |