Brief history of counts 2010: Little 2015: The National  April 2016: Ross Stripling 1988: Major  June 1999: Dr. James League adopts Federation of of the is League Andrews, an influential and pitch- State High School pulled from his Major League begins tracking world-renowned American rules based on a Associations (NFHS) debut after reaching 100 pitch counts as an orthopedic surgeon, player’s age. holds a joint meeting pitches, despite throwing a no- official statistic. suggests 100 pitches as a ballpark figure for when an arm with the Sports hitter through 7 1/3 . tires during a pitching outing. 2010: The Yankees Medicine Advisory and Red Sox Committee and USA High school senior and Illinois  1990:  1999: Chicago Cubs pitching local baseball Baseball’s medical State University commit specialist Tim Wakefield, prodigy tears his ulnar broadcasting safety committee to Brady Huffman throws 167 then of the Pittsburgh collateral ligament and misses the channels become the discuss pitch-count pitches in a 10- game, Pirates, throws 172 pitches entire year, after a rookie season in first to display pitch limits for youths. drawing national attention against the . which he shouldered a heavy pitching counts on-screen and criticism of his high load at age 21. during games. school coach, Roger Butler.

1988 1989 199019981999 2004 2008 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016

July 2016: NFHS mandates that each 1989: Then-23-year-old Al 2004: Jazayerli amends state in which baseball is sanctioned Leiter of the the Abuse  September 2012: The must enact a pitch-count rule. throws 163 pitches in his second Points statistic to , despite start of the year. Starting consider new research being headed for a playoff 2014: ESPN begins throw at least 140 on pitcher arm injuries. appearance, shut down all- displaying pitch September 2016: Idaho High School pitches in 55 games this season. star Stephen counts on-screen Activities Association approves a 2008: Vermont becomes Strasburg after he reaches during games. draft of pitch restrictions. 1998: writer Rany the first state to spurn his innings limit for the year. Jazayerli introduces the “Pitcher Abuse an innings limit in high Strasburg tore his UCL two December 2016: The Idaho association finalizes Points” statistic, the first attempt to school games in favor of years earlier, at 21, during his adoption of current pitch-count restrictions. quantify the damage inflicted on a a hard pitch-count limit. rookie season. pitcher’s health in a given game. Sources: San Francisco Gate; Grantland; Sabernomics; MLB.com; ESPN.com; Idaho Statesman; Washington Post; SportToday.org; Daily Chronicle; Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center; Baseball Reference; littleleague.org; idhsaa.org; USA Today. — Alex Valentine, Times-News staff

ROSS STRIPLING STEPHEN STRASBURG KERRY WOOD