Crazy High School Baseball Coaches

[Duman]

Local 9 are in the district tourney.  We played a local rival on Saturday.  We beat their ace.  He left after 4 innings - 88 pitches.  They had to play an elimination game on Monday.  They won.  Ace threw three innings - 42 pitches.  We lost our game on Monday and had to face them again. Who is on the mound to start but Ace.  He went 5 innings - 110 pitches. 

So let's do some math. 

Sat - 88 pitches
Sun - rest
Mon - 42 pitches
Tues - 110 pitches

That is 240 pitches in a 4 day span.  Local college coach told me after the game "hope that coach knows that kid is going to need to be able to use a knife and fork later in life."

Crazy and IMO unethical. 

For the record the state pitching rules are: you may throw no more than 10 innings in consecutive days.  You must rest one day after you pitch 10 innings in consecutive days. 

Also crazy and unethical.

[Mr. Happy]

That's why measuring pitchers by number of innings tossed alone is a fool's errand. That coach should be flogged.

[HudsonHawk]

Local 9 are in the district tourney.  We played a local rival on Saturday.  We beat their ace.  He left after 4 innings - 88 pitches.  They had to play an elimination game on Monday.  They won.  Ace threw three innings - 42 pitches.  We lost our game on Monday and had to face them again. Who is on the mound to start but Ace.  He went 5 innings - 110 pitches. 

So let's do some math. 

Sat - 88 pitches
Sun - rest
Mon - 42 pitches
Tues - 110 pitches

That is 240 pitches in a 4 day span.  Local college coach told me after the game "hope that coach knows that kid is going to need to be able to use a knife and fork later in life."

Crazy and IMO unethical. 

For the record the state pitching rules are: you may throw no more than 10 innings in consecutive days.  You must rest one day after you pitch 10 innings in consecutive days. 

Also crazy and unethical.

Why are these rules unethical?

[Jacksonian]

Why are these rules unethical?

Because a high school coach can leave a kid in a game today for 3 innings yet get pummeled and throw 110 pitches.  Then tomorrow he can go out again throw 5 innings and throw another 110 pitches.  According to those rules no rest required the third day so send him back out there for more innings on that day.  Plus who knows if anyone has taught a kid good mechanics.

[NeilT]

Local 9 are in the district tourney.  We played a local rival on Saturday.  We beat their ace.  He left after 4 innings - 88 pitches.  They had to play an elimination game on Monday.  They won.  Ace threw three innings - 42 pitches.  We lost our game on Monday and had to face them again. Who is on the mound to start but Ace.  He went 5 innings - 110 pitches. 

So let's do some math. 

Sat - 88 pitches
Sun - rest
Mon - 42 pitches
Tues - 110 pitches

That is 240 pitches in a 4 day span.  Local college coach told me after the game "hope that coach knows that kid is going to need to be able to use a knife and fork later in life."

Crazy and IMO unethical. 

For the record the state pitching rules are: you may throw no more than 10 innings in consecutive days.  You must rest one day after you pitch 10 innings in consecutive days. 

Also crazy and unethical.

I will say that if I was a high school senior, wasn't planning on pitching after my senior year, and was in a district tourney, I'd want to pitch even if my arm did in fact fall off.

[MusicMan]

I will say that if I was a high school senior, wasn't planning on pitching after my senior year, and was in a district tourney, I'd want to pitch even if my arm did in fact fall off.

We do a lot of things to protect stupid teenagers from themselves.

[HudsonHawk]

Because a high school coach can leave a kid in a game today for 3 innings yet get pummeled and throw 110 pitches.  Then tomorrow he can go out again throw 5 innings and throw another 110 pitches.  According to those rules no rest required the third day so send him back out there for more innings on that day.  Plus who knows if anyone has taught a kid good mechanics.

I understand how it works.  I'm asking why it's unethical.

[JimR]

I understand how it works.  I'm asking why it's unethical.

it is not, nor is that workload horrific.

[Duman]

Some of my indignation is driven by the fact that I was watching the kid.  He was showing signs of fatigue (taking more time between pitches, shaking his arm out, rotating his arm, favoring the arm when walking to and from the mound).  He also had left the game on Saturday with arm complaints. 

When you add in the number of pitches he threw warming up for each game & in between innings, he must have thrown over 350 pitches over the four days.  I find that a troubling number

By the way the kid is a junior.  Yes, he wanted the ball but that is when adults are supposed to step in and make decisions in their best interest. 

The reason I find the rule egregious is it well known that all innings aren't created equal.  You can have a 3 pitch inning and I have seen 35+ pitch innings.  By the current rules, this kid could have thrown five more innings the next day.  I don't think the rule goes far enough to protect the player from themselves and over zealous coaches. 

[JimR]

Some of my indignation is driven by the fact that I was watching the kid.  He was showing signs of fatigue (taking more time between pitches, shaking his arm out, rotating his arm, favoring the arm when walking to and from the mound).  He also had left the game on Saturday with arm complaints. 

When you add in the number of pitches he threw warming up for each game & in between innings, he must have thrown over 350 pitches over the four days.  I find that a troubling number

By the way the kid is a junior.  Yes, he wanted the ball but that is when adults are supposed to step in and make decisions in their best interest. 

The reason I find the rule egregious is it well known that all innings aren't created equal.  You can have a 3 pitch inning and I have seen 35+ pitch innings.  By the current rules, this kid could have thrown five more innings the next day.  I don't think the rule goes far enough to protect the player from themselves and over zealous coaches.

completely different story if he is showing those signs. not numbers. is he throwing free and easy or is he laboring?