History
Through the 1960s, it was common for the starting pitcher to pitch a complete game. Comparisons with the dead-ball era pre-1920 are misleading, since the pitcher's behavior was very different. Some examples of high pitch count games include a 26-inning game on May 1, 1920 where Leon Cadore of Brooklyn and Joe Oeschger of Boston pitched an estimated 345 and 319 pitches; also, Nolan Ryan threw 164 in a 1989 game, aged 42. Stats LLC began tracking pitch counts in 1988, and MLB keeps official data since 1999. The highest pitch count since 1990 is 172, by Tim Wakefield for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Atlanta Braves on April 27, 1993. Pitch counts above 125 are increasingly rare:
| Season | PIT>125 |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 40 |
| 2010 | 24 |
| 2009 | 26 |
| 2008 | 19 |
| 2007 | 14 |
| 2006 | 26 |
| 2005 | 31 |
| 2004 | 46 |
| 2003 | 70 |
| 2002 | 69 |
| 2001 | 74 |
| 2000 | 160 |
| 1999 | 179 |
| 1998 | 212 |
| 1997 | 141 |
| 1996 | 195 |
On June 25, 2010, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Edwin Jackson threw 149 pitches in a no-hitter. This was the highest pitch count in an MLB game since 2005.
Read more about this topic: Pitch Count
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