Pitchers Arm Care

This Blog is for the coaches but also for parents of pitchers.

LYNDON'S PITCHING RULE

**The Inning Pitched Rule exists in the fall as well as the spring.

Currently, the pitching rule is based on innings pitched. Most leagues use actual pitch counts but our rules still use innings. The Junior Level rule is 6 innings in a week with the Intermediate and Senior Level is 7 innings in a week.

Softball is treated the same way at Lyndon as Baseball however we all know that pitching is not the same in both but there is more and more evidence that softball pitching does have overuse injuries. So, for the sake of this blog as of September 2022, baseball and softball pitchers are treated the same.

An inning is, of course three outs. Each out is a third of an inning when counting the innings of the pitcher. So, if the pitcher comes out of the game in the middle of the inning and there are two outs, that is 2/3 of an inning.

There are many issues with Innings as a rule instead of pitch count. One major issue is that a pitcher can throw unlimited number of pitches in a particular inning which could cause an overuse injury.

So, it is highly recommended that each coach also count pitches. The Little League pitch count is:

• 17-18 105 pitches

• 13-16 95 pitches

• 10-12 75 pitches

This would be a good place to start as you monitor your pitcher.

Over the winter, we will work on possibly changing this rule to pitch count instead of innings and treat softball pitchers a little different than baseball pitchers.

2022 Rule Book

MULTI-POSITION PLAYERS

Most players in our league will also play another position. Please be aware that if that pitcher is throwing a lot of pitches and then goes to a position like catcher or shortstop, there is additional risk of arm injury. Please error on the side of caution here. If the pitcher has a high number of pitches, I recommend first base or left field if possible.

MULTI-TEAM PLAYERS

There are some players that play travel ball. I believe there are also some players that play rec ball in other leagues. If not monitored properly, one of these pitchers could throw a ton of innings in the span of a few days. It is extremely important that the coach work closely with the parents of your pitchers to track innings and or pitches when pitching for other teams.

COMPETITION

I understand the desire to have your best pitchers in as often as you can but please remember that there is serious risk to the arm of these athletes when they pitch too much. Use other pitchers, give plenty of rest to the pitcher after he/she pitched a lot. Take care of these young arms. Develop other pitchers. This will help you in the long run.