Ha!

[jasonxctf]

from sportspickle.

 

Gutsy WBC pitcher throws nearly 50 pitches in a single day

Odalis Perez, a starting pitcher for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, put his health and future on the line Monday, gutting out 4 2/3 scoreless innings on the mound by hurling 48 pitches against Cuba on the way to a 7-3 win.

“A performance like this shows how much these guys are willing to do for their country,” said Dominican manager Manny Acta. “Throwing nearly 50 pitches – in just one day! That’s the stuff of legend, I don’t need to tell you that. People talk about how durable pitchers were in the old days, but I doubt any of them can match the pitchers of today. I mean, Odalis threw 42 pitches less than a week ago. He’s amazing.”

WBC officials implemented a pitch count for each round of the Classic so pitchers don’t overdo it and injure themselves. A maximum of 65 pitches were permitted for round one, while 80 will be allowed for the second round and 95 for the semifinals and finals. Plus, a 30-pitch outing must be followed by a day off, and a 50-pitch performance must be followed by at least four days of rest.

“It’s great there are pitch limits,” said USA manager Buck Martinez, “because if there’s one thing we know about modern day pitchers, it’s that they are very, very durable. Although the 95-pitch limit in the final rounds is kind of funny. I don’t think a human arm can endure such stress as throwing a ball 95 times. I’ve heard rumors of people doing it years and years ago, but I think that’s the stuff of urban legend.”