Liván Hernández 150 pitches in a game

[Pimpbot]

He threw 150 pitches for a no decision on friday Thats more than two games worth for some.

[franky]

Wow, I guess that blows that theory that a pitcher's arm does actually fall off after 120 pitches thrown in a game out the window...

Of course I'm being cyncical about the manager's and their darn pitch counts. Although, I'd be upset if I were Livan. All those pitches and not even a win or a loss.

I think some pitchers can actually handle the longer type games moreso than others. And, you also have to take into account "stress" pitches (as in those with runners on base, pitching from the stretch in tough situations, etc). I think the situations of games dictate the toll a game takes on a pitcher many times as much as pitch counts.

[Tarkus]

Originally posted by Pimpbot
He threw 150 pitches for a no decision on friday Thats more than two games worth for some.

Stunning...Now that's impressive in todays game. & actually with some of the "quality" pitchers around, that's more like 4 games worth...

[Pimpbot]

It seems like now, that whenever a pitcher gets even close to 100, they yank him for the bullpen. But they must throw into the 100's just in warm up and long toss, or at least the pitchers I have seen when I get to the ballpark early, do.

[Alex]

Hernandez has been a workhorse for most of his career. 150 pitches seems a bit extreme, even for him, but he is typically among the league leaders in pitches thrown. Jack McKeon seems to do a relatively good job with Beckett, Burnett and Willis in Florida and keeping their pitch counts reasonable. Dusty Baker's total disregard for Prior and Wood could ruin their careers.

[190 Octane]

Dusty does the same thing with Carlos Zambrano. He is often throwing in the 90s on many outings.

[doublee]

Pitch counts are overrated. If today's coaches actually took the time to condition young arms properly, teach them proper mechanics, and how to actually pitch instead of just relying on pitch count limitations to keep a guys arm fresh then guys would not be getting injured all the time. With all of today's technology and research it amazes me that we have gone from four man rotations and pitchers throwing upwards of 300 innings a year to five man rotations with only the best of the best breaking 200 innings a year.

[catman]

Livan Hernandez is a big, strong guy that can throw very hard. He throws a lot of fastballs, which are the easiest on the shoulder and elbow, so he should be able to handle this load once in a while.
I would be far more concerned if his best pitches were breaking balls.
I'm sure his next couple of outings will tell how difficult this was for him.
Another thing to consider is the intensity of the situation. There are frequently times when the pitcher is able to "coast" through a stretch of innings. I think this may have been one of those cases.

[Billy D]

Livan followed up the 150-pitch outing with an 8 inning, 127-pitch victory last night. He's certainly in his own class

[doublee]

Yep, that 150 pitch outing did not seem to affect him at all last night.

[catman]

He did get an extra day between starts, however.
He pitched pretty well again.