Pitch Count

I SPENT A LOT of time yesterday sifting through the detritus of 62 years to uncover one shining moment that put a high luster on the fabulous baseball career and exemplary life of Robin Roberts. The last Sunday of the 1950 season is the obvious choice. The Phillies' great righthander was making his third start in the final 5 days of a campaign where the Dodgers relentlessly reeled in Eddie Sawyer's young and depleted ballclub like a fisherman about to land a minnow with a pole rigged for marlin.

PITTSBURGH - Closers are different. That is a fact acknowledged by everyone who has ever set foot in a baseball clubhouse. What's amazing is that they can be different in so many different ways. "He's typical, I guess," Roy Halladay said Thursday after he combined with new closer Jonathan Papelbon to blank the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Phillies' 1-0 opening-day victory at PNC Park. Halladay meant that Papelbon was typical because he has proven to be every bit as different as every closer he has met during his well-decorated career.

Archbishop Carroll relied on the strong arm of Eric McGough and a late, fortunate bounce to edge host Lansdale Catholic, 5-4, in Wednesday afternoon's Catholic League baseball matchup. McGough didn't allow a hit in six innings, but was removed before the seventh as his pitch count totaled 93 and Carroll held a 5-1 lead. In the absence of the junior hurler, Lansdale stormed back with three runs and loaded the bases with two outs. Rick DiDominico's wild pitch bounced off the back stop and was recovered by catcher Dan Santoleri, who fired back to DiDominico for the game-ending out at home plate.

For those lucky enough to still be involved in the state baseball tournament, two games are left to win in order to earn the state title. That could also mean two more games for one pitcher to start. The way the NJSIAA pitching rules are set up, a pitcher could pitch in Tuesday's public school state semifinals or non-public sectional final and then also throw in Saturday's state championship game. At this time of year, when others are looking at the strengths and weaknesses of state title contenders, it might be a better idea to examine the NJSIAA pitching rules.

A hard-hit liner back to the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning knocked Eric Ruth to the ground. But the pitching ace quickly popped up, gathered his fallen cap, and continued, more determined than ever, to go about finishing what he had started. Down by 3-0, with one out and runners on first and second, Parkland would score a run and briefly threaten North Penn's once-comfortable advantage. But Ruth, as he had done throughout the season, doused the flame in never-a-doubt fashion.

For those lucky enough to still be involved in the state baseball tournament, there are two games left to win in order to earn that always coveted state title. That could also mean two more games for one pitcher to start. The way the NJSIAA pitching rules are set up, a pitcher could pitch in Tuesday's public school state semifinals or Non-Public sectional final and then also throw in Saturday's state championship game. At this time of year when others are looking at the strengths and weakness of state title contenders, it might be a better idea to examine the NJSIAA pitching rules.

Like a Little Leaguer tugging on the shirttail of his coach, John Gramlick would keep after John Leary for an opportunity to pitch. The junior Penn Wood pitcher would tell Leary, Penn Wood's coach, "Let me pitch, let me pitch," until, you guessed it, Leary handed Gramlick the ball on Wednesday. Gramlick proceeded to throw a no-hitter against Chichester in the first high school game he ever pitched in. Holy Nolan Ryan! Projected in the beginning of the season to be either the fourth or fifth pitcher for the Pats, Gramlick now figures to pitch more often this season.

MILWAUKEE - Charlie Manuel wanted no part of any discussions yesterday afternoon about a Game 4 Sunday at Miller Park. It was as if Sunday did not exist. "Right now we're concentrating on winning this game," he said before Game 3 of the National League division series tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers. "We came to the ballpark to win tonight. It might be getting boring, but I want to stick to that way. " But the Brewers beat the Phillies in Game 3, 4-1, to cut their lead in the best-of-five series to two games to one and force Manuel to finally talk about Sunday.

It was easy for Chris Donlen to decide which he was more satisfied with - his pitching or game-winning home run - in Neshaminy's 3-1 win at Conwell- Egan on Tuesday. "The pitching," he said. "I haven't thrown in a while. " The while had lasted two weeks, while Donlen nursed a strained muscle in his right (pitching) shoulder blade. "I was happy," he said. "I would have liked to have thrown more, but I was on a pitch count. " Donlen lasted four innings, gave up four hits and one run (a steal of home by Tim Monaghan)

He started his career as a closer and is ending it as a starter. In between, West Deptford senior Scott Rollins had to endure some down time for tendinitis in his elbow, but he's now pitching at 100 percent. That was clearly evident yesterday during an 8-2 victory over visiting Haddonfield in a key Colonial Conference baseball game. Rollins, a sidewinding righthander, pitched his first complete game of the season, striking out nine, walking two and allowing just six singles to an explosive Haddonfield club.

THIS TIME AROUND, only the sight of bone popping through skin would have kept Eric McGough off the mound for the seventh inning. Not again, in effect, would he leave the dance without asking the most beautiful girl for a slow one. On April 4, McGough, a 5-11, 170-pound junior righthander at Archbishop Carroll High, pitched six innings of no-hit ball vs. Lansdale Catholic and then, with his pitch count at 92 and his arm "not really hurting,...

PITTSBURGH - Closers are different. That is a fact acknowledged by everyone who has ever set foot in a baseball clubhouse. What's amazing is that they can be different in so many different ways. "He's typical, I guess," Roy Halladay said Thursday after he combined with new closer Jonathan Papelbon to blank the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Phillies' 1-0 opening-day victory at PNC Park. Halladay meant that Papelbon was typical because he has proven to be every bit as different as every closer he has met during his well-decorated career.

Archbishop Carroll relied on the strong arm of Eric McGough and a late, fortunate bounce to edge host Lansdale Catholic, 5-4, in Wednesday afternoon's Catholic League baseball matchup. McGough didn't allow a hit in six innings, but was removed before the seventh as his pitch count totaled 93 and Carroll held a 5-1 lead. In the absence of the junior hurler, Lansdale stormed back with three runs and loaded the bases with two outs. Rick DiDominico's wild pitch bounced off the back stop and was recovered by catcher Dan Santoleri, who fired back to DiDominico for the game-ending out at home plate.

Pitch counts are way cool. We have no idea who invented this baseball statistic, but it has grown enough in prominence that it has its own Wikipedia page, a sure sign that the people out there in cyberspace believe it is a very important thing. At the risk of relaying misinformation, Wikipedia tells us that "pitch counts are especially a concern for young pitchers, pitchers recovering from injury, or pitchers who have a history of injuries. " Citation needed. Here is more from Wikipedia: "Before pitch counts became prominent in the 1980s, a pitcher pitched until he could no longer get anyone out or the game was over.

By Jim Kaplan Will we ever see another pitching duel? I don't mean what passes for one these days - with starters lasting six, seven, or eight innings before invariably giving way to the bullpen. I'm referring to the days when two grizzled pitchers strapped on their gloves expecting to work into extra innings if that's what it took to finish the game. Ever since I began researching the mother of all pitching duels - the 1963 16-inning classic waged by Hall of Famers Juan Marichal of the Giants (227 pitches)

For those lucky enough to still be involved in the state baseball tournament, two games are left to win in order to earn the state title. That could also mean two more games for one pitcher to start. The way the NJSIAA pitching rules are set up, a pitcher could pitch in Tuesday's public school state semifinals or non-public sectional final and then also throw in Saturday's state championship game. At this time of year, when others are looking at the strengths and weaknesses of state title contenders, it might be a better idea to examine the NJSIAA pitching rules.

For those lucky enough to still be involved in the state baseball tournament, there are two games left to win in order to earn that always coveted state title. That could also mean two more games for one pitcher to start. The way the NJSIAA pitching rules are set up, a pitcher could pitch in Tuesday's public school state semifinals or Non-Public sectional final and then also throw in Saturday's state championship game. At this time of year when others are looking at the strengths and weakness of state title contenders, it might be a better idea to examine the NJSIAA pitching rules.

At some point in Roy Halladay's career, all the pitches he has thrown and all the innings he has logged are going to sap the life from his high-powered right arm. And for all of you worried about this issue, remember this: That doesn't make the Phillies' $60 million ace different from any other man who throws a baseball for a living. All of this brings us to the subject of the week - pitch counts. When Halladay threw 132 pitches during his complete-game loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the alarms sounded at Citizens Bank Park.

I SPENT A LOT of time yesterday sifting through the detritus of 62 years to uncover one shining moment that put a high luster on the fabulous baseball career and exemplary life of Robin Roberts. The last Sunday of the 1950 season is the obvious choice. The Phillies' great righthander was making his third start in the final 5 days of a campaign where the Dodgers relentlessly reeled in Eddie Sawyer's young and depleted ballclub like a fisherman about to land a minnow with a pole rigged for marlin.