The Nature of Pitch Counts
The difference in the philosophy of pitch counts in the MLB and the NPB is an area where pitchers from Japan need to adjust when they make the jump to the big leagues. The nature of pitch counts remains a hot topic around MLB and the topic has been addressed recent in interesting articles such as The countdown to 100 pitches by Tim Kurkjian and Pitch counts an overrated stat by Hal Bodley.
100 pitches is acknowledged as the magic number around the league and younger pitchers are protected by organizations from an early stage at their career. Even though some NPB managers have implemented the 100 pitch count philosophy it is not rare to see pitchers go the distance in an effective outing surpassing the magic number. Recent outings from Yuuki Karakawa throwing 153 pitches (9.0 innings, 9H, ER) and Naoyuki Shimizu (7.2 innings, 11H, 4ER) pitching 144 pitches illustrates how teams and players are not shy about increasing their pitch counts.
The difference in the philosophy of pitch counts between the two countries comes from number of reasons, of which I will only touch on a few. The beauty of finishing the game as a starter is indoctrinated from an earlier stage, especially dramatized in the National High School Tournament at Koshien Stadium. The legendary three days at the Koshien Tournament for current Boston Red Sox Daisuke Matsuzaka has been well publicized here in the United States with his 17 inning, 250-pitch complete game followed by a relief appearance the next day and his no-hitter performance in the final of the tournament. It will be interesting to see how the pitchers in the Koshien Tournament evolve with the number Major League-minded players increasing in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Another difference between pitchers in the two leagues is how much pitchers throw during spring training, before the season starts. MLB pitchers tend to pitch every other day or have a routine schedule throwing from the mound to prepare for the start of the season. However in the NPB, there are pitchers who start the camp in full-mode, throwing 100 to 200 pitches from the mound on a given day and coming back the next with even more. Throwing a large amount of pitches before the season starts results in a routine for the pitchers and that makes it easier to throw over 100 pitches during the season.
The last point to make here is the difference in the schedule and number of games. NPB pitchers will typically make fewer starts over the course of the season than MLB pitchers, who spend the longer season of traveling around a country that is several times bigger than Japan. That requires the teams to schedule stretches with 20 straight games, compared to NPB which has a more flexible schedule with more off days. Then there are times when teams can have extra inning games which last until a winner is decided, as opposed to NPB, where games end in a tie after 12 innings. These are practical differences that affect the usage of pitchers in each country.
Japanese pitchers coming over to the MLB need to adjust to the philosophy of pitch counts here in the States, but that is obviously not the easiest thing to do as we all know that routine is important for an athlete. Coming to a different country and then adjusting to a new routine is something that only certain players can do, looking at the results from past players. Even for a pitcher such as Yu Darvish, hyped as the next big star if he ever makes the jump, adjusting to the new routine will be the key for him. So far in 2009, he has pitched a total of 153 innings in 19 total starts averaging 8.05 innings per game. He has thrown seven complete games including two shutouts and you rarely see him leave the mound before hitting 100 pitches.
As long as the nature and philosophy of pitch counts differs in the two countries, adjustments will be required for NPB veterans jumping MLB and both sides need to be aware of that reality in order for both sides to succeed.
10/08/2009 at 8:09 am Permalink
Interesting article!
10/08/2009 at 8:21 am Permalink
And to add some color to this: http://forums.simcentral.net/blog.php?b=1543
10/08/2009 at 8:37 am Permalink
Interesting thoughts. What annoys me most about pitch counts is that managers will take a pitcher out of the game even if he’s in total control. That’s something I can’t understand. I do understand that clubs are protective of their players’ health, but when a team is winning and the pitcher is doing a good job I don’t see the point why you have to replace him with a “fresh” arm.
I found it interesting though that during yesterday’s Koushien game between Jyousuikan and Kochi Jyousuikan replaced their starter after only 3 innings. Was that because he had already thrown 3 innings the day before? Because usually, just as you said, you see complete games in the tournament.
10/08/2009 at 9:37 am Permalink
For those who refer to Koshien, putting some kind of pitching restriction would pretty much eliminate less-staffed teams. They simply don’t have enough pitchers. Only a handful of teams can compete every year. This is just stating a fact.
10/08/2009 at 12:58 pm Permalink
When it comes to the different training regiments, you can certainly compare the two leagues and see injury levels between the pitchers.
It’s hard to compare the two directly with cases of people that come over because they’re on some part of the downslope of their careers – and could be prone to injury simply because they’re older.
I think the true test may be if a high schooler *cough*Kikuchi Yuusei*cough* decides to come to the states after HS say. He’s certainly undergone the traditional Japanese conditioning, and if he does come over, he’ll certainly be switched to more “standard” training schedules. It’ll only be one case, but we could at least take a look with him to see how he develops.
(I just realized that Tazawa counts too, being only 23?)
With respect to the Jyousuikan game, Kouno seemed a bit shaky on both days – especially yesterday. He may be on a short leash with Sakota-kantoku. He has Ikechi generally backing him up, but as you saw – he was very ineffective.
10/08/2009 at 3:05 pm Permalink
Also, Interesting to note, I have heard pitchers in Japan do not ice their arm after the game while in the US, the most pitchers ice their arm after the game. And, really strange, Tim Lincecum, probably the best starting pitcher in the MLB doesn’t ice his arm after his games.
10/08/2009 at 3:52 pm Permalink
That’s not true. I don’t know how common the practice is, but there are definitely pitchers in Japan who ice their arms after games.
10/08/2009 at 6:11 pm Permalink
Excellent article, I was just chatting earlier with my brother about pitch counts in MLB and NPB today.
10/08/2009 at 7:11 pm Permalink
Thanks for all the comments. I agree with Patrick regarding NPB pitchers icing their arm after the game. I often do see pitchers with ice during hero interviews and when the camera focuses to them after their outing.
11/08/2009 at 1:07 am Permalink
Yeah, without postgame icing in Japan, we wouldn’t have “aishingu” or “noh-aishingu.”
11/08/2009 at 9:51 am Permalink
Thanks for the clarification on icing of the arm. I was trying to figure out why the MLB seems to have a lot of pitchers with issues. Do pitchers in Japan have as many injuries as the pitchers in the MLB?
11/08/2009 at 1:01 pm Permalink
Have written something on different pitching approaches over at East Windup:
http://eastwindupchronicle.com/pitch-counts-japan-and-america/#comment-25600