Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
April 17, 2008
Complete King

Felix Hernandez pitched a complete game against the Oakland Athletics Wednesday night as the Mariners took the contest 4-2. Hernandez spread out eight hits over nine innings, walking just one. The pitch count interests me, however. McLaren allowed the King to throw 115 pitches:

"When Bedard went on the DL, Felix had to step up and be the core of the entire pitching staff," Ichiro said after watching Hernandez dominate the A's, at one point retiring 13 of 14 batters.

And that's exactly what Hernandez did. When the eighth inning threatened to blow up in his face, Hernandez defused the potential for an Oakland explosion. When he inning was over and the Mariners had to decide on a pitcher for the ninth, Hernandez wouldn't let anyone else touch the ball.

"When they asked me after the eighth inning, I said I wanted it," Hernandez said. "And I did."

The eighth wasn't that rough as he gave up three singles and induced a double play, so I understand his wanting to come out for the ninth. This, however, was the second start in a row where his pitch count reached 115 or more. Last season Hernandez pitched seventeen innings in his first two starts and then went down with an injury. Part of me doesn't want to complain about pitch counts, because in general I think pitchers are lifted too early. But based on what happened in 2007, I'd be more careful with Hernandez than the Mariners were last night. Maybe his limit is 115, but I wouldn't want to push that just yet.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:08 AM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I checked last night and he was at 108 after 8. I assumed he was pulled and went to bed. That means he threw 7 pitches in the 9th. It was a little risky I think to send him back out, but he finished it extremely efficiently. I doubt those 7 pitches affect him one way or the other.

If the ninth had been stressful it could have been a different story. luckily for the M's and The King, it wasn't, and this shouldn't be an issue.

Posted by: Tyler at April 17, 2008 01:09 PM

In Baltimore he went 8 innings, was pulled and the bullpen blew the save and the game wasting a potential shutout. With the mariner bullpen inconsistent the last thing McClaren wanted was to blow a game against a division rival.

Posted by: AMichael at April 17, 2008 01:23 PM

One thing that doesn't get accounted for is how many times and how many pitches that the starter throws from the stretch and how many times he's running to back up 3rd and home. If some guys in the rocking chair all night it's one thing to throw 120 pitches as opposed to the guy who walks the leadoff guy every other inning and is out of gas after 75 pitches.


p


Posted by: Bandit at April 17, 2008 09:54 PM
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