Pitch Counts

In baseball, the number of pitches that a pitcher throws during a game is an important piece of data.  This is known as a “Pitch Count” and it often has limits. This is to save “wear and tear” on the anatomy of the arm and shoulder.  In Little League, the pitch count states a maximum number of pitches in one day.  This increases as the athlete gets older.  For 9-10 year olds, the number is 75. For 11-12 year olds, the pitch count is 85.  High Schools have their own rules about pitch counts. As far as records, the most pitches thrown in a game belongs to Nolan Ryan, who threw 259 pitches in a 12 inning performance in 1974.  Now if a major league pitcher throws 100 pitches, the trainer calls 91 and waits.  The most pitches in one inning was 61 by Steve Trachsel of the Chicago Cubs in 1997.   Side note:  do you know why the Cubs are not on the Internet?  It’s because they cannot put three W’s together. Back to the point…when a pitcher has exhausted his/her pitch count, they are not allowed to go on no matter how they feel. In short, there is most definitely a limit. The manager has to take him out of the game.

Teachers do not have a pitch count.  I am often stumped when people try to explain that they have “done everything possible” to remedy a situation.  I am not even sure what that means because I did not realize that “everything” had a ceiling. Your “innings” are each class period that you get the opportunity to make a difference.  There is no limit to the number of strategies that you use.  There is no limit to the positives that you spew.  No one is going to take you out of the game because you tried too many things.  I could quote, “Failure is not an option” and “If at first you don’t succeed” and so forth, but the point is that we have to find what works and there is no limit to the attempts.  Heck, Edison tried about 1,000 filaments before he found that one that illuminated his light bulb.  This differentiated learning is a real thing and so is differentiating your instruction.  Find a way. Find a way. Find a way.  As a pitcher needs to change speeds and hit his or her locations, you will need to change instruction and hit your targets.  This manager is not taking you out of the game.