HS kid goes 14 innings, 194 pitches

That's a big reason Little League is losing players too.

 

No doubt. I agree.

Hey, on the original point, I'm inclined to lean toward the kid's view. If he is self-aware enough to realize he's not going anywhere in baseball after this, that this is going to be his highlight athletic moment, I'm not so sure I don't let him decide where he takes it.

 

http://www.lohud.com/story/sports/high-school/lohud-baseball/2014/06/01/sectionals-make-153-pitches/9845227/

Is this worse? Pitcher for Rye High School (New York) throws 153 pitches in the Section championship game. Coach's explanation is that the kid refused to come out, because of course the high school sophomore is going to make a sound, logical decision with a championship on the line.

This is a talented kid who apparently does have some potential as a pitcher, so the justification from the initial story on this thread doesn't fly.

 

Who's running the team? If the coach says you're coming out, you're coming out.

If the kid "refuses" to come out, Mr. Coach goes to Mr. Umpire and says, "I'm making a pitching change. No. 18, Billy Backup, is coming in for No. 22, Steve Studly."

end of story


Although, from the story:

Have they changed the rules? How many mound visits do the coaches get now before they must remove the pitcher?

I believe at one time it was 3 (total) or two in any one inning.


At any rate, once the coach notifies the umpire he is making a lineup change, the argument is over. Whether Steve Studly likes it or not is for him and the coach to hash out on the bus ride home.

 

Of course, it was the coach's decision. His excuse for letting the pitcher throw so many pitches was that the kid argued to stay in.

 

Well, if he wanted to wuss out and not directly confront his superstud pitcher, he could have intentionally violated the mound-visit rule and he would have been ordered by the umpire to change pitchers.

Although I suppose at that point Superstud would say, 'Shift me over to first base," then order the new pitcher to intentionally walk the next batter (fulfilling the face-one-batter requirement) then inform all and sundry he had decided to return to the mound.

At which point Bobby Bullpen might look to the bench and say, "wait, what? I gotta issue intentional walks because a sophomore says so? Who's running the show here?"

Whereupon Bruno lowers his head into a towel and says, "Just do as you're told."

 

Starman, you're missing the point. I don't think he really backed down because the kid demanded it. I think he is using that as an excuse for abusing the kid's arm.

 

Nah, I'm not missing the point. Every fool in the world knows you shouldn't have pitchers throw 153 pitches.

The story reflects that and says many opposing coaches were highly critical of the decision.

But either way Bruno looks something between utterly stupid, reckless or exploitative of the player.

The REALLY funny thing is the kid gave up five runs. He did strike out 12, which is pretty impressive, but it's not like he was mowing down the lineup inning after inning.

 

High school rule: 3 mound visits in a 7 inning game; no restriction on when they are taken. Could use all three on the same batter, and its legal.

To answer the mound visits question, once three have been made, a pitcher pulled cannot be returned to the mound.

 

Another funny thing is, Bruno (apparently) thinks it improves his stature as a coach to push the narrative, "I didn't want to abuse the kid's arm by making him throw 153 pitches, but he was just such a doggone gutty little competitor I couldn't tell him no."

Which immediately brings up the hypothetical:

Say you are in the last of the 7th, down one, two outs. Potential tying run on second. Opposing team brings in a hard-throwing lefty. Your next scheduled hitter is a senior who hits .442 against righties, but .107 vs. lefties. However you have a big slugging righty outifielder on the bench who hits .427 against lefties.

So you begin walking out to the umpire to tell him you are pinch hitting, and the scheduled hitter says, "'There's no way I'm coming out, and you know that. You have to be on my side this time.’ ”

Strike one, strike two, strike three. Gutty little competitor. : :

 

"... the prevailing thought in the press box ..."

:

 

Yeah; how many HS baseball fields even have "press boxes"?