Right now, Major League Baseball is facing a big problem with new pitchers getting injured almost every day and ending up on the injured list (IL). Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander shared his thoughts on the issue in a interview with KPRC 2 Houston’s Ari Alexander on Sunday, April 7.
Verlander expressed his concerns about the state of pitching and injuries, saying, “It’s obviously a pandemic and its gonna take years to work itself out.”
Verlander, who is currently in the middle of a rehab assignment as he prepares for his 2024 season, commented, “I think the game has changed a lot, it would be easiest to blame the pitch clock, in reality everything has a little bit of influence, the biggest thing is the style of pitching has changed so much, everyone is throwing as hard as they possibly can and spinning the ball as hard as they possibly can.”
Two weeks into the season, Baseball is dealing with numerous injuries to its pitching stars, particularly involving shoulder, elbow, and arm issues. The phrase Tommy John surgery seems to be mentioned almost daily as teams and fans wait anxiously.
It seems like a major pitching injury hitting a team is inevitable at this point. Verlander noted, “It’s hard to deny those results, obviously. How can you, it’s a double-edged sword, how can you tell someone not do that when they are capable of throwing 100.”
Justin Verlander Expresses Ambivalence Towards Pitch Clock
Verlander was cautious in attributing the reason for the injuries. The pitch clock has been an easy target for many, as the increase in injuries has felt like it has risen since the new rule was implemented.
To speed up the pace of play, MLB introduced the pitch clock rule in 2023, significantly reducing the length of games that were approaching unreasonable durations before last year.
However, some have questioned whether the enforced pace and lack of time between pitches are major factors in the rise of injuries. Currently, Baseball’s pitcher IL appears to include several top pitchers, such as Cy Young contenders Gerrit Cole, Spencer Strider, Shohei Ohtani, Jacob Degrom, Max Scherzer, Sandy Alcantara, Shane Bieber, and more.
The MLBPA released a statement about the surge in injuries and stated, “Despite unanimous Player opposition and significant concerns regarding health and safety, the Commissioner’s Office reduced the length of the Pitch Clock last December… Since then, our concerns about the health impacts of reduced recovery time have only intensified.”
They also criticized MLB for disregarding the effects of the rule.
Differing Opinions on the Role of the Pitch Clock in Injuries
Verlander acknowledged that the pitch clock would be the easy thing to blame but did provide alternatives that others have echoed recently.
Verlander primarily focused on the fact that players in the major leagues, college, and high school are all trying to throw as hard as they can or get as much spin on the ball as possible during the interview.
Former major leaguer Cameron Maybin made a post on this issue, “I’m tired of hearing about pitch clock being the cause of injury. Now I’m sure it plays apart but the game has made guys chase velocity because that’s what seems to get rewarded.”
A clip of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow is recirculating talking about his injury as a Tampa Bay Ray being due to the crackdown on foreign substances. He said, “I 100% believe that contributed to me getting hurt.”
It feels impossible to blame one factor and is likely a combination of multiple rule changes, but MLB does need to address this “pandemic” because they cannot afford to keep losing some of their brightest stars.
