Like:

Throw 41 or more pitches added <color:ff000>"and a game"</color>.

Note: A pitcher removed from a game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that day.

The "No-Pitch Intentional Walk" is eliminated. The defense must use the conventional means of intentionally walking the batter. (By pitching four balls to him/her.)

Also like the change for Senior League/Big League Baseball/Softball for Tournament Rule 10.

The new restiriction on catchers catches me off guard. I didn't realize this was even a problem.

I think it's more of a proactive rule change than a reactive one. A kid who exhausts himself after throwing 85+ pitches (probably 30-50% of them curves) in a game has no business moving to a position that would require him to keep throwing the ball another 10-20 times an inning. LL doesn't want this to become a problem, so they've enacted a rule to nip it in the bud before it happens.

Manny

Guys, am I thinking too much into this?

A pitcher removed from pitching can't catch, but a catcher removed can come in and pitch?

Pitcher throws 3 innings - catcher has thrown just as many back to the pitcher, throw downs, pickoffs, steals etc. etc., and can come in to pitch 3 innings with the ability to throw his allotted 85 pitches. Surely this cant be safe either.

Thank for the update Mason_Dixon_Blue.

Then it behooves the coach to keep from pitching a kid he plans to have catch later in the doubleheader.

But I do agree that this may be a bit overkill. Perhaps the rule should allow for a pitcher who needs no rest (1-20 pitches delivered) to still be eligible to catch. Can't imagine he would do much harm to himself; staying on the mound to deliver more pitches is probably more risky than putting him behind the plate at that point.

Manny

Finally got a max Pitch Count of 50 for 7/8s. It was "crazy" to allow 7/8s 75 pitches (IMO).

Wonder if they are thinking of not allowing an F2 to go to F1 since and F1 can not go to F2.

Pitch Counts should include all pitches a Pitcher throws

Nov 7, 2007 10:57 AM!http://community.active.com/people/Fastballjohnd/avatar/32.png?a=-1!

Fastballjohnd Fastballjohnd 1 posts since
Nov 7, 2007

Pitch Counts should include all pitches a Pitcher throws

I have been reading a number of articles about pitch counts for youth baseball. I happen to agree with this for young players. There is one point being missed when calculating the amount of pitches thrown by a pitcher. I don't know if it is just overlooked or that people in youth baseball don't realize that a pitcher has got to warm up and also throw pitches between innings. If a pitcher warms up properly before a game he will generally throw up to 35 pitches. Between innings he is allowed to throw another 8-10 pitches between innings, depending on what league he or she is in. If you are saying that a pitcher should only throw 60 pitches per game then you should add those pitches to the count. 60+35+48= 143 now that pitch count to total has just jump up considerably. When I was coaching I always geared my pitchers to the total of the pitches including the warm ups and between inning warm ups because I got a better gage when my pitcher was at, what I call "Red Linning". If my pitcher is bull penning at a total of 100 pitches(for example) and I put him in the game and give him 100 pitches for his maximum and if I don't include his warmups and pitches in between innings then he will definately go well beyond what he or she is use to throwing. So the numbers have to be increased to show what the pitcher is really throwing or we are missing the boat here.

I played 12 years of Major League Baseball 10 full seasons and threw the ball over 100 MPH. I have a Doctorate Degree in Exercise Science and Physiology with an extensive background in Bio-Mechanics. I know what I am talking about here. I am also enclosing an article for you all to read about Elbow and Shoulder Injuries in Youth Baseball. Please take the time to read it and try understand it.

Elbow and Shoulder Injuries in Youth Baseball Players

Introduction

Injuries come with the long hours of practice and competition in the sport of baseball. Research has indicated that injuries in professional and collegiate baseball players may result from years of overuse and repetition. For example, a recent study of collegiate males in the United States reported fifteen percent of the athletes who had pitched in youth baseball stated that pain, tenderness, or limited motion compromised their ability to throw. (5)

There are more than 19,000,000 amateur baseball players. (5) Approximately twenty five percent of these athletes participate in pitching. The repetitive nature of baseball pitching results in a high-risk for overuse injuries. (17) The majority of youth baseball injuries involve the upper extremity. (7) Due to the repetitive nature of pitching, pitchers are at the greatest risk for sustaining a throwing injury to the arm. (6) The purpose of this article is to discuss the epidemiology, biomechanics, and prevention of elbow and shoulder injuries in youth baseball players.

My name is John DAcquisto and I played for the Giants,Cardinals, Padres, Expos, Angles, Braves, A's, and White Sox.

Epidemiology of Injuries

The following section will examine the basic anatomy of the elbow and shoulder and common types of elbow and shoulder injuries in baseball pitchers.

Basic Anatomy

The medial ligaments of the elbow are called the ulnar collateral-ligament (UCL) complex. This includes three parts: an anterior oblique bundle, a posterior bundle, and a transverse segment. It is only at less than 20 degrees and more than 120 degrees of flexion that the ulna and the radius in the elbow provide stability. Between these extremes, the UCL is the primary medial stabilizer of the elbow joint. It is the violent forces produced during the throwing motion that exceed the strength of the UCL and produce microscopic tears in the ligament. (10)

Secondary ossification centers are present in the elbows of younger athletes in the distal humerus, radial head, and the olecranon. Repetitive stress causes the growth plates of these centers to be more vulnerable than the surrounding muscles or tendons. (22) Ossification of these centers begins in the first year of life but does not completely unite with the body of the humerus until age 20. (8) The problem arises when athletes age 9-13 have the un-united epiphyses that are subjected to the pull of the attached muscles. (1)

Types of Injuries

There are several common types of shoulder and elbow injuries in youth pitchers. The primary injury in the arm of a youth baseball pitcher is Little League Elbow. Little League Elbow, identified in 1960 by Brogdon (2), is "the clinical diagnosis in the immature athlete that results from hard, repetitive sub-threshold throwing." This condition is caused by repetitive valgus micro trauma. The cause is vague and usually is a result of overuse inflammation of the proximal humerus or an actual stress fracture. Little League elbow directly relates to the amount and intensity of throwing. (9) Other injuries to the elbow include flexor-pronator tendonitis and posterior impingement. (20)

Although injuries in youth baseball players occur to the elbow, some injuries occur to the shoulder. Commonly injured shoulder structures include the rotator cuff, glenoid labrum, glenohumeral ligaments, and biceps anchor. Rotator cuff injuries are the result of one of three mechanisms: primary impingement, secondary impingement due to underlying stability, and tensile overload. (20) Another injury to the shoulder is a lesion of the labrum. This is a result of extreme compressive, distraction, and translational forces during the cocking and deceleration phases of pitching. This repetitive micro-trauma to the area can cause fraying or tearing of the anterosuperior portion of the labrum. Most often these are referred to as a superior labral anterior-posterior lesion or a SLAP lesion. This is accompanied by disruption of the biceps anchor that can lead to increased anterior-inferior translation of the humeral head when the anchor is detached. (20)

Little Leaguer's Shoulder is also a medically recognized injury. This was described by Dotter in 1953 (18) and is best defined as "a stress fracture of the proximal humeral physis". This is caused because the weakest link in the kinetic chain of the throwing shoulder is the proximal humeral epiphysis in the adolescent population (18).

Biomechanics

The biomechanics of throwing and pitching are critical components when examining elbow and shoulder injuries in youth baseball players. Biomechanics are considered to be one of the most important factors that affect throwing performance and injury potential. (13) Due to unnatural movements, excessively high stresses are generated at the shoulder joint during throwing. The complex movement pattern of throwing requires flexibility, muscular strength, coordination, synchronicity of muscular firing, and neuromuscular efficiency. (23) This section will discuss the six phases of throwing, the kinematics of throwing, and the relationship of biomechanics and kinematics to injury.

Phases of Pitching

Pitching is one of the most dynamic motions in sport. This is demonstrated when the average time from initial foot contact of the stride leg to ball release is 0.145 seconds. The ball is accelerated from 4 to 85 miles per hour during this time. (11) The most dynamic movements of the human body are the external and internal rotation of the shoulder during throwing. (11) Thus, it is important to differentiate the six phases that comprise the motion of pitching. These phases include windup, stride, arm cocking, arm acceleration, arm deceleration, and follow-through.

During the windup phase, the pitcher must achieve a balanced position as the knee of the stride leg raises. The delivery of the ball to the pitcher is then initiated from this position. (11) During the windup phase, minimal elbow movements and kinematics are present. (21) The stride phase begins as the hands separate and ends as the front foot contacts the mound. The elbow reaches eighty-five degrees of flexion with foot contact. (21) The most important part of the stride phase is the location of the front foot. The stride foot should land directly in front of the back foot with toes slightly inverted. However, it is when the toes are turned too far in that the pitcher "throw's across his body" and reduces the energy contributed by the lower body. This predisposes a pitcher to upper extremity injury. (11) The third phase is arm cocking. This phase begins when the front foot contacts the pitching mound and ends when the arm is in maximum external rotation. (21) At the end of the phase, one of the pitcher's arms is cocked and the thrower's legs, hip, and trunk have been accelerated. (11)

Arm acceleration, the fourth phase of pitching, is short and dynamic. (21) The arm acceleration phase starts when the humerus begins to internally rotate about the shoulder. The release of the ball signifies the end of this phase. (11) The next phase of pitching is arm deceleration. This phase starts with the ball release and ends when the arm reaches its maximum internal rotation. Follow-through, the final phase, is marked at the beginning by the arm reaching maximum internal rotation and at the end when the pitcher attains a balanced field position. Larger body parts, especially the trunk and legs, assist in dissipating energy in the throwing arm. (21) The follow-through is critical in minimizing the risk of injury in the baseball pitcher. Follow-through is complete with extension of the stride leg, continued hip flexion, shoulder adduction, horizontal adduction, elbow flexion, and forearm supination. (11)

Kinematics of pitching

The kinematics of baseball throwing is also important in baseball biomechanics. Kinematics includes the kinetic chain that encompasses a coordinated human movement. It is within this human motion that both energy and momentum are transferred through body segments to achieve maximum magnitude in the final segment. (13) During pitching, the shoulder exceeds 7,000 degrees per second for adult pitchers. This has been referred to as the fastest human movement. (23) The concept of a kinetic chain is developed from the idea that this energy is being created with large segments and muscles, and is then transferred through the legs and trunk, out to the throwing arm, wrist, and then eventually the ball. (23) For example, the kinetic chain for throwing consists of the legs, hip, trunk, upper arm, forearm, hand, and the baseball. (13) This kinetic chain for throwing includes the mentioned sequence of motions: stride, pelvis rotation, upper torso rotation, elbow extension, shoulder internal rotation, and wrist flexion. (13)

The potential velocity at the distal end where the object is released is greater if more body segments contribute to the total overall force. Less energy is required if the kinetic chain is executed properly. Also, the performance of the throw, either the velocity or distance, should ultimately be increased. (23) Seven segments have been identified which incorporate movements during the overhand throwing motion. These segments include the lower extremity, pelvis, spine, shoulder girdle, upper arm, forearm, and the hand. (23)

Relationship of Biomechanics and Kinematics to Pitching

The information previously presented provides a background into why biomechanics and kinematics are important in examining youth pitching injuries in baseball players. A related biomechanical issue includes the relationship of biomechanics and kinematics to upper extremity injury. Based on the six phases of throwing, most overuse throwing injuries at the elbow and shoulders are believed to occur during the arm cocking and arm deceleration phase. It is during the arm deceleration phase that large loads are produced to decelerate the moving arm and prevent elbow and shoulder distraction. (13)

For elbow injuries, the shoulder is in extreme external rotation near the end of arm cocking and the elbow is in flexion. This produces a large amount of stress on the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the medial elbow. (13) Valgus stress applied to the forearm can lead to medial elbow injury including muscle tears, avulsion fractures, medial collateral ligament spurs, and possibly ulnar nerve damage. (13) Also, the lateral elbow is susceptible to injury at the end of the arm-cocking phase. Compressive forces are created between the radial head and the humerus that contributes about one-third of the torque to the elbow (Fleisig, Dillman, and Escamilla's study (13). The compression that results may eventually lead to avascular necrosis, osteochondritis dissecans or osteochondral chip fractures. (13) A significant varus torque is placed on the poster