Gee, who would have ever imagined that the Phils would have problems getting pitchers to go deep into games effectively after they basically have told the entire organizational pitching group that going 5 effective innings is more than enough. I have said it before and will say it again....I hate it.
Pitching is now one of the only spots in sport that I can think of where mediocrity is applauded, even encouraged. Pitchers are now babied to the point that mentally they have convinced themselves that giving 5 innings is a job well done. Balderdash.
And I have seen no studies that show that pitchers are suffering less arm problems because of all this pampering. I knew several years ago we were headed for this when 6 innings, 3 earned runs was considered a quality start. Just based on that notion, the Phils in 1964 had 6, count em, 6 quality starts during that 10 game losing streak. And I recall that it was pitching, and Mauch's misuse of his staff, that caused the collapse. Today, his use of that staff would be called genius.
Look, I understand that baseball has evolved, changed, grown, whatever word you choose to use. But I will never, repeat, never believe that what baseball has done to dumb down pitching is good for the game. Baseball is still a physical sport and talent generally wins out. But the mental aspect is one that analytics will never understand nor be able to quantify but if you have played the game you know it exists in spades.
And if you are mentally told that 5 innings is all you need to give, then mentally you begin to believe it and actually think you are tired after 5 innings, even though physically you should be able to go much further.
I can remember few seasons that I have enjoyed less than this one...and I am not talking Phillies here, I am talking sport wise. I feel like I am witnessing slow pitch softball, where hitters all try and hit home runs, and succeed far too often, while much of the strategic beauty that made baseball such a beautiful sport is now gone. Perhaps I have been a fan too long and I never ever thought I would see the day when my love for the game would fade.
But the reality for me is that I am much more inclined to enjoy the box scores from retrosheet than I do the box scores from ESPN. Too many people who never played the game and never could understand the magic it evoked have turned it into a real life game of stratomatic.
So sad. I can envision far too many hurlers having to answer to their children, who upon discovering that they daddy once played baseball ask, "daddy, how come you didn't win many games even though you pitched often?" being told "yes, but my WHIP was great and I was a stud for 4 innings!" Child looks strangely at dad and walks away, unconvinced of the validity of what he has just been told.
