Former World Series champion Curt Schilling took issue with the use of pitch counts in Major League Baseball as the 2025 season got underway.
Schilling appeared Friday on “The Will Cain Show” on Fox News Channel. Fill-in host Charles Hurt asked the former Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox star whether the pitch count has turned out to be good or bad.
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The six-time All-Star shook his head.
“It’s been a bad thing, but it’s a direct result of the money,” Schilling said. “[Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher] Paul Skenes gets almost $10 million to sign out of college. Teams aren’t gonna spend that kind of money without their guys getting to the big leagues. So, they’re on pitch counts in the minor leagues, and they end up going into the big leagues with pitch counts, and you can’t ask guys to do things for the first time in the big leagues.
“I kinda get a little acid reflux every time I see a pitcher walking off the mound in the sixth inning, tipping his cap. But the game has changed.”
MLB managers have routinely taken pitchers out of ball games if they start to sniff 100 pitches during games, regardless of whether the player has a no-hitter or shutout intact.
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One of the most famous instances in recent memory came during the 2018 World Series when Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts relieved starter Rich Hill in the seventh inning during Game 4 against the Boston Red Sox.
Hill lasted 6.1 innings, allowing just one earned run and one hit. He had thrown 91 pitches and Los Angeles held a 4-0 lead at that point. The Dodgers’ bullpen then imploded, and the team ultimately lost the game 9-6.
The move sparked a reaction from President Donald Trump, calling Roberts’ move a “big mistake.” Hill responded by saying the president’s focus shouldn’t have been on the game.
Years later, the Dodgers will be celebrating their 2024 World Series victory at the White House next month.
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