What’s Going On

What is wrong with pitchers? One hundred pitches and they call it a night.

Times have been a changin’ and not for the better in baseball.

You hardly see any pitcher go the full 9 innings and throw over 120 pitches. Come on, suck it up. You get paid to pitch, what could be better?

The mind set for pitches has changed dramatically since the days of Feller, Koufax, Gibson and Guidry. It used to be, throw the complete game. Pitch as much as you could and not give in at first sign of fatigue and pain…
Koufax threw a total of 137 complete games in his career and over 2324 innings pitched in 12 years.

Gibson went for 255 complete games 3884.3 innings pitched in his 17-year career.

Roger Clemens the last active workhorse of his era has 118 complete games, in 22 years and only 4 since 1999. That is 19 less then Mr. Koufax in 10 more years of work.

John Smoltz in 17 years as a pitcher has just 15 complete games and less innings of work then Gibson.  

Now someone please tell me there isn’t something wrong with that picture?

Today athletes are trained to the highest possible level. Pitchers work out as much as everyday players. So why can’t they go the distance? I think it is all in the mind. Today pitchers are satisfied with throwing 7 innings and calling the bullpen to do the rest, so they can shower and get out early. It is obvious that couldn’t have been the mindset in the 20th century.

The fastball was the main pitch in the good old days, now everyone wants the breaking ball or slider. Koufax threw fastballs all day and said, “Here hit it”. He could throw his fastball consistently for 9 plus innings at the same velocity, which was usually in the mid to high 90’s. Now pitches lose velocity like Lou Pinella losing his head. It happens so early in the game that it is sad. One moment they will be throwing 96, 97 mph. Next inning it will be down to 93,94 and so on and so forth.

I don’t think the will is there in pitchers these days. They lost the will in 1968, when the mound was lowered to 10 inches. That is when pitchers died. And hitters took over. You take away that one thing the pitchers also had over the hitters and it isn’t fair anymore. Once that change took place, the majority of pitchers realized that their day of reign was over. But even so, I would bet you put Koufax on the mound today when he was in his prime (his whole career) and he dominates the entire league. Hands down, he shuts everyone down.

I have always wondered if money has ever influenced the change in pitchers. I have come to the conclusion that yes it does. Pitchers in 2006 are making 56 millions for 5 years. Pitcher’s 5 decades ago pitchers were paid less then $100,000 a year. So you have to wonder, are pitchers now thinking, ok I get my paycheck no matter what I do and I am set for the rest of my life. You got to remember decades ago there were no guarantees. Many times a pitchers salary depended on how many games he won or innings pitched. So they went all out, all the time. Which is the way it should be. I understand that there are pitchers that play for the love of the game and the money is just a bonus, hats off to them, but come on show some dedication and don’t worry about your career. Worry about what is happening right then and there. When Koufax refused to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kipper, that really tells you something. He knew baseball was just a game and some other things were more important, if he was in it for the money, he would have pitched and gotten his paycheck for the night. If pitchers and everyday players took that mind set, you would be forced to think baseball would be a different game, for the better.

Al Leiter is the last pitcher in my mind that pitched like he was in the wrong time era. He threw so many pitches in his career. He pitched because he loved to.  Lieter pitched the gutsiest World Series game in my remembrance in 2000. 142 pitches well into the ninth. And he kept it going. He got stronger as the game went on, something you don’t see anymore. And I’m saying this as a huge Yankee fan and huge Met hater but Al Leiter pitched his heart out that game. And if I was him, I wouldn’t be ashamed of anything on that night. He went out a winner that game. He had the will to keep moving, and grasped a concept nobody has anymore.

The will to go the extra mile is lost in athletes, pitchers and hitters alike. It is there in the beginning of careers but fades not because of age but because lack of desire. Early on in youngster’s careers, they want to strive more then anything, and once they do you can see that they take it for granted. They turn it down a notch. It should be the exact opposite. Turn it up a notch and prove to yourself you can keep on doing it. If you fail, you fail. Failure breeds success, and that is the thing pitchers and hitters alike fail to understand.

                Utmost Respect,
                    Happy Valley