Pitching Injuries on the Rise? Does MLBś Pitch Clock Need to be Revised? An orthopedic Surgeon Sheds Some Light
With pitching injuries in major league baseball seeming to be on the rise, the common injury known as´ Tommy John surgery´ impacting rotator cuffs, multiple members of the medical community are questioning if the pitch clock by major league baseball needs revision.
Dr. Derek Ochiai, an orthopedic doctor trained in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery whose practice is in Arlington, VA, has been concerned about the rise in pitching injuries for some time now.
¨Injuries will happen, itś hard to pinpoint the causes for pitcher injuries,” Ochiai shared in a phone interview.
MLB´s pitch clock rule:
In an effort to create a quicker pace of play, a 30-second timer between batters was implemented in 2023. A timer was also implemented between pitches — 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on. The timer was reduced to 18 seconds with runners on base starting in 2024.
¨We just need to find solutions, do more research. Technology is so much better than even 20 years ago,¨ Ochiai added. ¨Maybe the pitch clock needs to be lengthened?¨
Ochiai is a graduate with honors from Cornell University. He attended Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where he received several awards and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Medical Honor Society. Dr. Ochiai is fellowship trained in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery.
Read more about the pitch clock in MLB HERE
Asked for advice to send out to youth pitchers and coaches, Ochiai said a solution in helping protect arms is simple.
¨Stick to a pitch count in Little League. We do not, and should not be seeing 15 and 16 year olds having Tommy John surgeries, that is obviously not a good thing.¨
See Dr. Ochiaiś website HERE
¨How do we best treat pitching injuries? We need to continue to improve, keep studying,¨ Ochiai explained.
Dr. Ochiai provided more thoughts in written responses below.
Board certified sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon. I treat athletes of all levels, from recreational to professional. I have treated some professional level baseball players for shoulder injuries.
That’s a loaded question! Anecdotally, I have noticed some increased injuries, but it’s not clear it’s from the pitch clock. Pitching velocity (fastball and breaking ball) also continues to rise. The pitch clock may have something to do with it, but more data is needed.
It might be leading to more injuries as there is a bit less time to recover between pitches. Fatigue can lead to overthrowing to achieve the same velocity, which leads to poor mechanics, which leads to injury.
Honestly, I think athletes would adapt better when it is adopted earlier on. Pitch COUNTS are very important, and the evidence is clear that adhering to this decreases injury. If the pitch clock were adopted earlier, it would allow pitchers to become used to a faster tempo, and trust their mechanics (or change pitch selection) instead of overthrowing.
Currently, data looks stable over the past four years.Advice to athletes: Pitching mechanics and pitch count are key to avoiding injuries.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
