Ridiculous Pitch Count Leads to Managerial Fiasco in Brutal Loss
Last night's Mets game is being reported as a failure for the Mets to win the game due to the absence of closer Billy Wagner. WRONG!
There's one and only one reason why the Mets lost this game: the irrational acceptance of the most overhyped and completely arbitrarily derived statistic in the history of all sports, the pitch count. (okay, perhaps it's really the "hold" stat). Pitch counts are ridiculous. And to take out perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball, who was still mowing down the Philly hitters in the eighth inning, just because his pitch count was over 100 is bad managing at best - in fact, it's the exact "by the book" managing that led to Willie Ran-"dolt"s firing to being with.
Here's the basic truth: With Wagner out, a bad Santana is better than a good anybody else in the bullpen. Read that sentence again. A BAD Santana is better than a GOOD anybody else in the bullpen. You gotta win that game against the Phillies with a 3-run ninth inning lead. Johan is a workhorse. If he's throwing 93 miles an hour in the first, and still throwing 93 in the eighth, call me crazy but he can pitch the ninth in my book. I don't want to hear the "we have to watch his pitchcount so he won't get hurt" excuse. The fact of the matter is this: if the pitchcount is such an important number, and all managers and fans have bought into the "taking out the pitcher after 100 pitches" mindset, then why are there more pitchers on the disabled list percentage-wise today than at any point in the history of modern-day baseball?
The answer is simple. The pitch count is made up. That's right, it's just a number someone made up. And if you need proof, consider this: Isn't it convenient that the pitchcount limit is generally thought to be 100 pitches? One hundred's a nice number. Not 120 or 125 or 137 or 96 or 140 or anything like that... hmmm, if I were making up a threshold, 100 is a nice number to pick. That's all it is - completely arbitrary... there's absolutely no basis in science or conditioning that says a pitcher can't go beyond 100 pitches. And I'm pretty sure the human body hasn't changed much since the days when Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and Jim Palmer were still throwing pitches well into the 10th inning.
And let's continue to think logically about this. There are only two reasons pitchers pitch in middle-relief. One is they're not good enough to start, and the second is they're not good enough to close. So by definition, your bullpen is the worst part of your baseball team. If that's the case - and logically you can clearly see it is - then why is it okay for managers to manage towards the greatest weakness of their teams? I thought the number 1 path to success was to play to your strengths. Instead, the pitch count has made it allowable for every major league manager to manage to their weaknesses, all the while having "the book" to point to in case events such as yesterday happens. After all, you can't blame Jerry Manuel. You're SUPPOSED to take your pitcher out before the ninth, whether he's dominating or not. It's exactly this thinking that's the cause of so many un-needed losses you see in all of baseball today.
Would it surprise you to learn that more runs are scored in the 7th and 8th innings than any other inning? I wonder why that is?.. Perhaps it's because that's when managers blindly turn to their bullpens after their starter has given them the required 6 innings and 100 pitches? And that the general public has actually bought into the concept of managing toward your weaknesses rather than strengths?
Finally, let's consider one more thing. If you're a pitcher, and you're inclined to be hurt for whatever reason (a la Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Pedro Martinez, etc.), you're going to get hurt anyway, regardless of your pitch count. Look at how the Mets have babied Martinez over the past 3 years pitch count wise, and he STILL get's hurt. So if you're a pitcher, and you're inclined to get hurt, then why not just get the most out of someone when they're healthy instead of putting them on a pitchcount and watching them get hurt regardless.
Completely ridiculous stat created by the Players Association to provide pitchers with a way to end their day early. That's all it is - and it may have cost the Mets the division unless they bounce back with a well played game today. Jerry: STOP COUNTING!!!
There's one and only one reason why the Mets lost this game: the irrational acceptance of the most overhyped and completely arbitrarily derived statistic in the history of all sports, the pitch count. (okay, perhaps it's really the "hold" stat). Pitch counts are ridiculous. And to take out perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball, who was still mowing down the Philly hitters in the eighth inning, just because his pitch count was over 100 is bad managing at best - in fact, it's the exact "by the book" managing that led to Willie Ran-"dolt"s firing to being with.
Here's the basic truth: With Wagner out, a bad Santana is better than a good anybody else in the bullpen. Read that sentence again. A BAD Santana is better than a GOOD anybody else in the bullpen. You gotta win that game against the Phillies with a 3-run ninth inning lead. Johan is a workhorse. If he's throwing 93 miles an hour in the first, and still throwing 93 in the eighth, call me crazy but he can pitch the ninth in my book. I don't want to hear the "we have to watch his pitchcount so he won't get hurt" excuse. The fact of the matter is this: if the pitchcount is such an important number, and all managers and fans have bought into the "taking out the pitcher after 100 pitches" mindset, then why are there more pitchers on the disabled list percentage-wise today than at any point in the history of modern-day baseball?
The answer is simple. The pitch count is made up. That's right, it's just a number someone made up. And if you need proof, consider this: Isn't it convenient that the pitchcount limit is generally thought to be 100 pitches? One hundred's a nice number. Not 120 or 125 or 137 or 96 or 140 or anything like that... hmmm, if I were making up a threshold, 100 is a nice number to pick. That's all it is - completely arbitrary... there's absolutely no basis in science or conditioning that says a pitcher can't go beyond 100 pitches. And I'm pretty sure the human body hasn't changed much since the days when Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and Jim Palmer were still throwing pitches well into the 10th inning.
And let's continue to think logically about this. There are only two reasons pitchers pitch in middle-relief. One is they're not good enough to start, and the second is they're not good enough to close. So by definition, your bullpen is the worst part of your baseball team. If that's the case - and logically you can clearly see it is - then why is it okay for managers to manage towards the greatest weakness of their teams? I thought the number 1 path to success was to play to your strengths. Instead, the pitch count has made it allowable for every major league manager to manage to their weaknesses, all the while having "the book" to point to in case events such as yesterday happens. After all, you can't blame Jerry Manuel. You're SUPPOSED to take your pitcher out before the ninth, whether he's dominating or not. It's exactly this thinking that's the cause of so many un-needed losses you see in all of baseball today.
Would it surprise you to learn that more runs are scored in the 7th and 8th innings than any other inning? I wonder why that is?.. Perhaps it's because that's when managers blindly turn to their bullpens after their starter has given them the required 6 innings and 100 pitches? And that the general public has actually bought into the concept of managing toward your weaknesses rather than strengths?
Finally, let's consider one more thing. If you're a pitcher, and you're inclined to be hurt for whatever reason (a la Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Pedro Martinez, etc.), you're going to get hurt anyway, regardless of your pitch count. Look at how the Mets have babied Martinez over the past 3 years pitch count wise, and he STILL get's hurt. So if you're a pitcher, and you're inclined to get hurt, then why not just get the most out of someone when they're healthy instead of putting them on a pitchcount and watching them get hurt regardless.
Completely ridiculous stat created by the Players Association to provide pitchers with a way to end their day early. That's all it is - and it may have cost the Mets the division unless they bounce back with a well played game today. Jerry: STOP COUNTING!!!
Labels: pitchcount, Santana, stats
posted by Mets Fan Club @ 3:27 PM
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