Photo: Kevork Djansezian
Chris Broussard: “Kershaw got hurt anyway, and Verlander is older so I get it a little bit. It comes down to this, it’s about analytics. My problem with analytics is sometimes what might be the most efficient thing isn’t the best thing for the game or sport. You see so many pitchers in games now like 4 to 5 a game. No matter how well pitchers are playing, they’re starting to pull them no matter what because of the analytics. This is not best for the game. No-hitters and perfect games are important for the game and the fans! They have to be careful with these analytics...”
Ephraim Salaam: “When you look at baseball and the way they do things, as great as Kershaw is, he has a history of after six to seven innings the wheels start to fall off, especially in the playoffs. Pulling him in the seventh inning did no harm to the Dodgers, it was about the long run for him. Teams are thinking there is no reason to get your best starting pitchers injured late in games, especially if you need them for the post-season! Baseball has not found a way to capture the excitement that other leagues have... You can’t even flip the bat on a homerun!”
Today on The Odd Couple, Chris Broussard & Ephraim Salaam go back and forth regarding MLB teams pulling pitchers when throwing no-hitters and perfect games. Most recent, Clayton Kershaw went seven perfect innings and was pulled because fear of too many pitches & injury down the line. Justin Verlander also had six hitless innings & was pulled. Chris & Ephraim both agree that the MLB is falling behind of other professional sports for reasons like this.