Coaches think new rules will help reduce injuries to pitchers
By PAUL SHUGAR

KRIS HOLLAND/Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Valley Beetle pitcher Justin Kraft throws to second base in the fourth inning against the Yakima Valley Pak at Carlon Park Tuesday, July 24, 2007.

The exuberance of young boys like Jake Fife is why new rules for pitchers exist in Little League.

They are the kids who didn't ice their arms — despite mom's urging — because there was a Wiffle Ball game somewhere waiting to be played. Somebody who isn't going to let just a sore arm get in the way of the rush of coach handing over the ball.

Fife took the 5-ounce orb plenty during the summer of 2003, one he remembers fondly as the often-used ace of a Selah Juniors team that won the state tournament, advancing to regionals. There were no pitch counts, such as those Little League initiated this year, but guidelines existed on how many innings he could pitch in certain time frames.

Rules were followed, so no blame is being doled out to why the then 14-year-old Fife spent the following winter with a physical therapist working on his arm. No damage occurred to his rotator cuff or the delicate ulnar collateral ligament that can snap like a rubber band, sending a player toward Tommy John Surgery to replace the damaged area with ligaments from elsewhere in the body or a cadaver.

All Fife had was an overuse injury, a cheap lesson in what happens when kids throw without the proper conditioning, stretching and time off. Or when they fall in love with their new curveballs, striking everyone out and forgetting about the strain those breaking pitches cause compared to a well-located fastball or changeup.

Then there are Little League coaches who might lack the knowledge to see potential disaster coming or just ignore warning signs because they want victories. And even if they query their kids, the invincibility of youth clouds their judgment. Children don't think a sore arm might be the precursor to something serious. A sentiment some of the current pitchers for the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak or Yakima Pepsi Beetles echo after seeing plenty of action on their respective Little League teams.

"When you have the opportunity to go out and pitch when you're younger like that, you don't want to say 'No, I'm not going to go out and pitch,'" said Fife, a pitcher for Yakima Valley who will be a junior at Selah next year. "Your thinking kind of goes both ways.

"You feel your best. So when they ask you if you want to pitch, and even though your arm hurts a little bit, you say you're fine when you're younger. As I got older, when my arm hurts, I speak up."

While an ignorant coach isn't why Fife's arm tuckered out, the Senior Legion coaches know the dangers exist. Both Yakima Valley coach Mike Archer and Yakima skipper Mike Bailey praise Little League coaches around the Valley because they rarely see kids arrive at their level with existing or potential trouble in their arms and shoulders. Although Pak pitch coach Rob Archer admits the program lost a few "talented young arms" here and there during his 20 years because of minor injuries they suffered from overuse in Little League.

"There needs to be limits on guys at a younger age because, honestly, a lot of time wins outweigh the health of the kid," Rob Archer said. "You know we go down to watch Little League and there are five people there looking for only the 'W,' and that's not in the kid's best interest — not only Little League but all levels."

Arm issues are few and very far between for Yakima's Legion teams — Mike Archer still "knocks on wood" every time he discusses them — but coaches for both squads were glad to see Little League ratify rules that use pitch counts instead of the number of innings pitched. Especially since the count is part of a diverse formula they use to examine the health of a pitcher.

These coaches expect even fewer potential problems to trickle up to them now because of the new regulations, but would like to see other rules outlawing or limiting the number of breaking pitches Little League kids are allowed to throw. Something Little League International began a five-year study of this past season and plans to rule on in the future.

The changes put into place this year cut off a 12-year-old pitcher after 85 pitches, no matter the inning. He also isn't allowed back on the mound until three days pass. Older age groups can throw more pitches and there is a sliding scale for days of rest required depending on the number of times the hurler delivers home.

When Fife played, Little League used an innings rule for pitchers. That same 12-year-old player threw only six innings per week and six innings per game. The allowable innings increased with age, but the problem was this didn't take into consideration how many pitches were needed in those innings. One six-inning outing might take 60 pitches, another might require 120.

A number of pitches, while within the rules, is unhealthy for a child of that age.

"There just is no reason a 12-year-old kid should throw 120 pitches," Yakima pitching coach Alan Walania said. "There is absolutely no justification of that. ... I think a good rule is three innings per game or 60 pitches."

Senior Legion doesn't have a pitch-count rule, and both Bailey and Mike Archer see no need for one because of the different levels and their coaching experience. Rob Archer and Walania tend to put more emphasis on personal attention — how a pitcher feels, how his pitches look, what he is used to throwing and other factors like pitch counts, numbers of days off and how hard they threw. They also are aware of the pitcher's level of conditioning — something many Little League hurlers do not do — and let each pitcher's physical makeup determine his workload.

Senior Legion's only pitch rule requires no more than a total of 12 innings in a consecutive three-day period. It's a guideline Rob Archer said rarely comes into play even during the postseason because of common sense, and he tends to pay attention to pitch counts only for an idea of when the pitcher might start to tire. Walania said 120 pitches is a good cutoff point for almost anyone on his staff this season, depending on factors, but also won't hesitate to yank a kid because of other concerns.

Besides the new Little League rule, both pitching coaches said conditioning, stretching and teaching proper mechanics at an earlier level are key. They also railed against youngsters throwing breaking pitches and would like to see more development of changeups — what Rob Archer described as "a dying art" with kids so eager to fall in love with curveballs that put strains on elbow ligaments.

Walania said one unexpected effect of the new Little League rules might be more diversity in player skills. Since there are now limits on how many pitches a kid can throw, this means more players share the workload and develop as pitchers.

Letting more kids take that ball and share that youthful zeal Fife understands all too well in a healthy, safe way.

n Paul Shugar is a sports writer for the Yakima Herald-Republic. You can reach him at pshugar@yakimaherald.com or at 577-7688.

LITTLE LEAGUE

PITCH COUNTS

Age Pitches allowed per day

17-18 105

13-16 95

11-12 85

10-U 75

REST PERIODS

Ages 7-16

61 or more pitches result in three days of rest.

41-60 pitches result in two days of rest

21-40 pitches result in one day of rest

1-20 pitches result in no days of rest required

Ages 7-18

76 or more pitches result in three days of rest

51-75 pitches result in two days of rest

26-50 pitches result in one day of rest

1-25 pitches result in no days of rest required

AMERICAN LEGION SENIOR

PITCHING RULE: No player may pitch more than a total of 12 innings during any consecutive three-day period. No player may make more than four appearances as a pitcher during any consecutive three-day period.

PENALTY: Game shall be forfeited if protest is filed with the umpire in chief before the last out of the game.

AMERICAN LEGION JUNIOR

PITCHING RULE: No player may pitch more than a total of 10 innings during any consecutive three-day period. No player may make more than three appearances as a pitcher during any consecutive three-day period.

PENALTY: Game shall be forfeited if protest is filed with the umpire in chief before

Sources: www.littleleague.org, American Legion baseball rule book