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lol
Why does the starting pitcher change every game? Why don't they just keep their best man pitching?
lol
I'm going to assume this is a serious question.
A: Because their arms would go flying off into the stands without allowing the damage to the muscles and connective tissue in their throwing arms healing between starts.
Because there are some real morons out there. Remember, most American middle school students can't find Canada on a map.
because I'm American and follow baseball religiously?
My fault. It was a legitimate question in your case.
The overhand pitching motion used by most pitchers is unnatural. (That is, the throwing arm encounters stresses that it was not intended to withstand.) Pitching stresses the labrum, rotator cuff, elbow, and all of the related connective tissue.
http://www.drmikemarshall.com/ChapterSix.html
The link above explains it explicity in anatomical terms.
Some of the more unconventional styles like "submarine" and side-arm throwing stress the elbow even more than overhand pitching.
Even "soft" pitches like the change-up, knuckle ball, and curve are still hard on the pitcher's arm, because they need to be delivered with the same arm motion as a fast ball to fool the hitter.
Some specialty pitches do a LOT of damage. The screwball is the worst. Sliders are harder on the arm than curves and fastballs. I met Bob Gibson a few years ago (1960s pitcher known for a devastating slider); his right arm is visibly shorter and contorted.
To further elaborate, pitchers with incredibly long careers like Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer tend to have two things in common:
1) They don't throw hard; and
2) They pitch to contact. This means that they are not trying to fool or overpower the batter, but they rely on the fact that not every strike can be driven hard by the batter, due to location. These type of pitchers rely on the fact that they have seven fielders behind them (not to mention themselves) to get to the ball.
Pitchers like Roger Clemens, who throw hard and have had long careers, are inherently su ious. I don't think too many people were shocked when all of the steroid accusations surfaced.
So they rotate because of the strain on the arm. Fair enough.
^ hence i would take 5 aces in my staff rather than have 9 all star everyday players.
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