DUGOUT: The convenient 100-pitch limit

Bobby Cox was relieved. Because of the single that broke up Jair Jurrjen’s no-hit bid he wouldn’t be forced to wrestle with whether or not to leave Jurrjens in the game. After all, his pitch could was getting precariously close to 100.

More often, teams are succumbing to the unwritten rule of taking your starter out of a game as soon as he passes the 100-pitch mark. There is not much research or statistics to back up this pitch limit, which seems to be driven by fear.

After a pitcher is injured critics can always point to a specific date when the manager allowed the pitcher to throw an obscene amount of pitches — usually around 120. Overuse of a pitcher has, at least recently, become one of the most popular ways for a manger to lose his job.

Nolan Ryan averaged 134 pitchers per start according to Tom Tango’s “Basic Pitch Count Estimator,” which is used because pitch counts were not measured as obsessively in the 1970s as they are in this era. This 134 total is his average, which means that he almost certainly threw at least 200 pitches on a few occasions.

It is even rumored that Ryan pitched a 12-inning game in 1974 on 259 pitches. Any manager to allow that now would be lining up in the unemployment office hours after the game.

These days, pitchers are treated as if their arm rests on a velvet pillow. The beautifully round number of 100 is the standard for starting pitchers of every type. Right- or left-handed, side-armed, submarine, overhand, and even power and precision pitchers are all measured against that 100-pitch mark.

I understand why managers and pitching coaches take as many precautions as they do; I just think it’s excessive.

Billions of dollars are invested on young pitchers and taking the careful approach is wise.

But with all of this money being spent, wouldn’t it make sense for teams to get the most out of their pitchers as possible? There’s a fine line between saving an arm and getting your money’s worth, though, and I think today’s managers are doing a poor job of balancing the two.

According to baseball columnist Joe Posnanski’s research, pitchers who have thrown at least five innings this season are averaging 99.2 pitches per start. Where did this 100-pitch limit come from? Was it brought about simply because it is a convenient number?

As the classic baseball adage goes, “Arms don’t wear out, they rust out.” If a pitcher is throwing a good game, why take him out?

Of course, there are arguments in favor of a strict pitch limit. The slider has become one of the most vital pitches of any pitcher’s arsenal and many doctors will attest to the fact it is especially tough on the arm.

With more and more sliders and split-finger fastballs being thrown a pitch limit could be useful. And how else could a team justify the amount of money they give relievers?

Through the years, batters have been given numerous advantages that make pitching tougher. The lowering of the mound from 15 to 10 inches in 1969, the smaller strike zone, and the introduction of the designated hitter have all contributed in making the process of pitching much more difficult.

But have they made it difficult enough to legitimize the need for a strict pitch count?

Despite the “babying” — or as some call it, “wimpifying” — of pitchers these days, there hasn’t been a significant drop in injuries. If nothing else, there has been an increase.

Pitchers today are dropping like flies, many needing the popular Tommy John surgery on their elbow. On the face of things, it almost appears that this newly instituted pitch count is doing the opposite of what it intended: prolong careers.

The issue of pitch-counts has no middle ground; either you are in favor of the 100 limit or wish to see things return to where they were three or four decades ago. I would much rather watch a pitching duel between two aces than a race to the bullpen.

Many feel the same way and would like for pitchers to throw until they’re tired and rarely before, with a few exceptions.

The ideal pitch count, or “point of fatigue,” will be different for everyone, based on the arm strength and endurance of the particular pitcher. Research from the American Sports Medical Institute shows that a pitcher is 36 times more likely to be injured if they pass their respective fatigue point.

Ryan, the poster boy for those opposed to pitch counts, is now the president of the Texas Rangers and is doing all in his power to improve the longevity of his pitching rotation. He plans to train his pitchers a little harder in an attempt to get them to go deeper into games.

After Jurrjens allowed the single that broke up his no-hit bid in the seventh inning against the Phillies, manager Bobby Cox allowed himself to breathe easier. With Jurrjens nearing the 100-pitch mark, he wouldn’t be forced to tiptoe down the line between a quality outing and the preservation of his pitcher’s arm.

He could start warming up his bullpen without having to worry about any criticism he might have received had Jurrjens stayed in the game longer.

After allowing the single, Jurrjens quickly got the third out of the inning and retired to the dugout for the night. His final pitch count: 97.

Andrew Kneeland will be a junior at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green Valley News.