Cy Young Award Not What It Used To Be

The game has changed when it comes to those who take the mound as Big League pitchers are not who they once were - Image Credit: MLB

LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, the most significant change to baseball at every level, all the way down to Little League, has been the overwhelming influx of Sabermetrics and Analytics that dictate how players develop and how they are used. Pitch counts have always been a part of the game, but now it is the overriding factor in determining how long a pitcher will be allowed to pitch.

This year, the 2024 Cy Young Awards went to Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers in the American League and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves in the National League.

Their records were almost identical in every category. Still, the two statistics that stood out, like a turkey on a wedding cake (Sorry, Turkeys), were that both had zero complete games and averaged 6.2 and 6.1 innings per game, respectively. Sale never pitched more than 7.1 innings (Once). Skubal went eight innings once.

Both pitchers are strong, gifted athletes, and no one, except the analytical geniuses who use advanced mathematical mum-bo-jumbo to give everyone the rules about how many pitches a pitcher can throw before his arm explodes, will say this is how it has to be in baseball. The Hall of Fame is full of pitchers who pitched numerous complete nine-inning games, and many pitched into extra innings. They had long, successful careers and never had serious arm problems.

In 1974, Nolan Ryan threw 235 pitches against the Red Sox. He pitched 13 innings with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks, facing 58 batters while giving up only three runs. He played until age 46 and pitched 222 complete games. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will go into the HOF one day, and with 19 years in the Big Leagues, he has 26 complete games. Another three-time Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer, will also enter the HOF one day. He has pitched 17 years to date, and he has 12 complete games in his career (12)!

We, as fans, are being cheated by people who have never played the game at a high level, making up new rules about everything from how many pitches an arm can throw in a game to how players condition their bodies. It is not how many pitches they throw; it’s what they throw and how they throw it. It is all about velocity to these nerds. Teach players early on how to pitch and not just throw as hard as you can for as long as you can. Save that 97-100 mph fastball for when you need an out.

Pitchers are throwing 100 in the first inning with no one on base. Give me a break! One of the greatest pitchers ever was Greg Maddux. His fastest pitch was in the low 90s when he first came to the big leagues, and it got slower as the years passed. He pitched for 23 years to age 42.

I feel bad for kids who follow baseball today. You are watching a game much different from what your dad watched as a kid.

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