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Thought on arms, from old hands
By Gordon Edes, Globe Staff, 03/31/00
Some random observations on pitching aces, from those who know them:
Pedro Martinez made 15 starts with an extra day's rest last season (getting at least five days off between starts instead of four). In those 15 starts, he went 13-0. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa explains the importance of giving an ace additional time off:
"We used to do that a lot with Stew [Dave Stewart] and Welchie [Bob Welch]. They used to go deep into a game over and over again. You can only go so long. It's really important to get that extra day, because it's important to try to get to the last month of the season and have some arm left. All of a sudden, you reach the pressurized games in September and October and the arm's dead.
Do aces have a shorter shelf life? Some studies have shown that pitchers who log 200 or more innings, especially early in their career, are more susceptible to injury. The Red Sox have three other pitchers - Ramon Martinez, Bret Saberhagen, and Jeff Fassero, who were all No. 1 starters on other staffs. Saberhagen has undergone shoulder reconstruction and tore his rotator cuff again last season, Martinez had shoulder reconstruction surgery, and Fassero had elbow surgery. And last season, Pedro Martinez twice went on the DL with shoulder problems.
Phillies ace Curt Schilling, who is starting the season on the disabled list after elbow surgery, disputes the notion that aces are more vulnerable.
"It's just part of the job,'' he said. "We do stuff with our arms that is just not normal.''
Reds pitching coach Don Gullett, who pitched for World Series winners in Cincinnati and New York (Yankees), said he was able to throw a 95-mile-an-hour for at least seven years before tearing his rotator cuff. But he, too, does not believe the ace is at greater risk than other pitchers.
"It all has to do with mechanics, and there's a certain amount of luck involved,'' said Gullett. "Guys with bad mechanics or different types of body can't take it.
"I liken an arm to a piece of machinery, a car or a lawn mower. They only run for so long, then something is going to break. You're lucky if you pitch 15 or 16 years. That's a freak of nature.''
As important as an ace is to a staff, La Russa said, it may be more important to have depth in your rotation.
"If you have a great No. 1 but are shaky from 2 thru 5, you're not going to win as many games as you would with a solid 4 and 5,'' said La Russa. "A great No. 1 is a big advantage in the postseason. If your ace wins the first game of a short series, that's a major advantage. Over the course of a season, I'd take a deep rotation.''
A hitter's approach changes against a No. 1. Phillies batting coach Hal McRae offers his take:
"You know you're not going to get many good pitches to hit. You know you're probably going to get one shot at this guy. He has to give you something, and you hope you can take advantage of it.
"Your biggest fear is you'd better get him now, because as the game progresses he's going to get better. There's some sense of urgency that is an advantage to the ace, because as a hitter, you don't feel like you've got all day.
"You usually think, `If our guy keeps us close, we'll get the other guy. He'll make a mistake and we'll hit him.' But if you don't get an ace in the first three innings, he'll kill you.''
Intimidation works in an ace's favor, especially when he throws as hard as a Pedro Martinez or a Randy Johnson. But Stewart, whose "death stare'' was famous when he pitched for the Oakland A's, warns not to overstate its importance.
"I don't think it's so much intimidation as just being prepared to do what you have to do to win,'' said Stewart. "I wish it was as easy as putting on a face. Intimidation comes from building success, not from putting a face on. When you start having success and run off five, six wins in a row, all well-pitched games, you feel better. You know you're pitching well. All of a sudden, you build yourself a wall that people can't break.''
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