Faster Game vs More Injuries

There has been little discussion about what ramifications that a faster pace of games will have on pitchers after implementing the pitch clock, but there is a likelihood that this will increase the rate of injuries.

An article below in 2016 notes just that fact.  In an interview of Michael Sonne, an ergonomics researcher who states that, “In ergonomics, injury risk is evaluated by looking at four main factors: force, repetition, posture and duration.  The first three are not going to change for a pitcher, but the fourth would.  You’re looking at the duration of the exposure to pitching, but also the duration of rest.  If you put in this pitch clock it’s a very cut-and-dry way of reducing the amount of recovery time a pitcher has”.

Sonne states that it is wrong to think of pitcher fatigue just in terms of the total number of pitches, but one also needs to consider the duration of when those pitches are thrown.  Compressing the number of pitches into a shorter period of time will increase their level of fatigue.  The fatigue factor is critical, since exposing a pitcher to greater fatigue, subjects them to a greater risk of injury by increasing stress on their ulnar collateral ligament. The ulnar collateral ligament, Sonne states “is the one that bears most of the stress in pitching and is the ligament that undergoes reconstruction in so-called Tommy John surgeries”.

A major league pitcher is one of the most physically demanding jobs in all of sports.  Pitchers in normal circumstances, prior to pitch clocks already place enormous stress on their bodies and more precisely on their arms and shoulders.  How will major league pitchers ultimately react to throwing more pitches in a shorter duration is up for debate, but this issue has been raised in the past as per the Sonne’s interview (Study says pitch clocks in MLB could increase risk of injury to pitchers | The Star).

Here is also is another story that we found that postulated about the possible link of increased injury risk to implementation of the pitch clock: Potential injury concerns that could stem from new pitch clock rules

Overall, it would not be surprising to eventually learn that MLB did not fully research the injury risk to their pitchers.  This will be an interesting point to follow, but ultimately time will only tell whether this change in rules will lead to additional injuries.  Pitchers, especially starting pitchers are some of the highest compensated athletes in professional sports, but the speeding up of the game could be a hit to owner’s investment and to fans alike.  For players, the increased stress could ultimately jeopardize their careers in the long run for what will likely become a marginal reduction in game time.  Again, the premise is that there is this dire need to shorten game times to re-energize the fan base, but the cost is not just destroying the integrity of the game, but potentially harming players and their careers.

We have already seen Justin Verlander, one of the biggest acquisitions and investments in the off season by the New York Mets recently experience a teres major strain in his pitching arm.  Could that be because of the new pitch clocks?  Impossible to say at this point, but only time will tell whether this is just another random injury or a harbinger of things to come in the pitch clock era.