Professional place kickers aren’t the only ones with short memories. I didn’t have the nerve to remind my friend at work that the Cubs recently got whomped by Pirates’ rookie pitcher, Paul Skenes moments ago.
Her frustration was directed at Craig Counsell and the Cubs brain trust that removed rookie, Ben Brown, last night after he threw 7 innings of no-hit ball against the Brewers. Being the know it all that I am (when it comes to baseball), I tossed a barrage of popular baseball tropes explaining away an unpopular decision. I don’t think I convinced her of anything despite my sincerity.
The problem is that I’m not entirely convinced that Brown should have been pulled. The empirical evidence really doesn’t support the Brown removal because he wasn’t throwing as many 100+ mph pitches last night.
It seems less likely that pitchers will get the opportunity to pitch complete game no-hitters any longer. Yet, Ronel Blanco threw a 105-pitch gem earlier this season.
Ultimately, my friend’s concern wasn’t really for Brown’s health or the science behind the decision, she wondered what effect this move would have on Brown and the Cubs psyche/morale.
Current players have been conditioned into saying the right thing-never showing up the manager/coach/management. It might be something about knowing which side your bread is buttered. Furthermore, pitchers today have not been conditioned or trained to pitch complete games. They might want to finish what they started, but they really don’t know how. Few have been given the chance to pitch their way out of trouble and not just for fear of throwing too many pitches.
While all of these guys are extremely competitive and confident, they are also aware that the opportunity to throw a no-hitter isn’t a guarantee. When he appeared in his first Super Bowl, Dan Marino never thought it would be his only appearance.
I don’t think we’ll ever know if pulling Skenes, Brown and others will lengthen their careers or improve their teams’ odds of reaching the postseason this year, but we can debate it for hours. It’s these debates that make the game great.
