Alan Schwartz writes for ESPN.com that “the strict use of pitch counts, the practice of removing an otherwise strong pitcher to ward off possible (some say inevitable) arm trouble, has become one of the most divisive issues in baseball today.” At the time, notes Schwartz, this was “a relatively new phenomenon.”
“Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, as a 22-year-old Cub in 1988, threw 167 pitches in an 11-inning loss to the Cardinals. But he soon learned to dispatch with hitters so quickly, getting at-bats over with in one or two pitches, that he never had to run up such high counts again.”
Pitch Count 