A lot had changed over the years. One change stands head and shoulders above the rest though: the way management handles pitching.
Pitchers rarely throw complete games today. It used to be a regular occurance. Now it is as rare as a no-hitter. Justin Steele kept the ball from his July 5, 2024 complete game. Even though he entered the Major League in 2021, it was his first, and I don’t recall seeing one since, by him or any other Cub pitcher.
Pitchers are expected to throw hard. Any why not? There is a direct correlation between pitch speed and getting batters out and thus winning games. But higher pitch speeds come at a cost. And I’m not talking about 6 to 7 innings of pitching versus a complete game. I’m talking about safety.
To be frank, I personally like Daniel Palencia. He is a relatively short light-weight guy, like me. Ballplayers at 5’ 11” and 160 lbs are also a rarity these days. And one that can throw 100+ mph are even rarer. The throw to the head of Diamondbacks’ outfielder Jordan Lawlar on Wednesday August 25, 2026 raises questions that NOW must be addressed.
Face it. The game has changed. Teams are demanding more speed from their pitchers. Yes, they’re getting more batters out. And who doesn’t want to win? We know batting averages are coming down. But the high speed and the desire to win are coming at a very high cost: it is placing the lives of hitters in jeopardy.
There is no arguing such. Lawlar came not more than 2” and a split second from getting a 100 mph fastball to the forehead at his left eye. The pitch could have been fatal. Other than Lawlar, I don’t think there was a more shook up player at Chase Field than Palencia. Lawlar was done for the day, but so too was Palecia. He wasn’t himself after that pitch, and probably will never be the same.
To be clear: I don’t think Palencia was trying to “buzz the tower” as they say. Throwing a pitch 100 mph by someone’s head to scare them into striking out on a subsequent pitch is not any way to play a game. And it is not buzzing the tower. Pilots are not risking people’s lives when they carry out that prank. It might startle the controller into spilling his coffee, but nobody is going to die. In the sense of baseball, however, buzzing the tower is putting someone’s life at risk just to win a game. That opportunity has to be eliminated. And it should be done ASAP.
I’m not one for lots of rules, but I think a new one is needed. Some thing like this:
Any pitcher who throws the baseball past a batter in the batter’s box at 95 mph or higher above the batter’s shoulders and on the inside portion of the plate or closer will be ejected from the game without contest. The batter will also be given first base,
You may disagree with the type of rule change, but if any of the readers here disagree with the need for such a change, I suggest you first watch the video of Twins hitter Kyle Farmer taking a pitch to the face at Target Field in 2023.
In any event, this blog isn’t particularly directed at Cub fans. It is directed at the owners of club franchises and at MLB executives. Do something to protect hitters before something terrible happens.
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