Before the WBC started, I expressed some concern about Roy Oswalt's participation. Part of my concern had to do with the number of MLB pitchers (including Brad Lidge) who had a bad regular season after participating n the 2006 WBC.
In his start against Venezuela, the ESPN broadcasters talked constantly about how tired Oswalt appeared to be in his last inning, suggesting that the Astros might be concerned about his pitch count.
And they were right; the Astros' manager and pitching coach were concerned about his 65 pitches, as noted by the Houston Chronicle.
“I was worried about that pitch count,” Cooper said. “It’s a different kind of stress when you’re in a game and getting up to that number. ”
The stress level is what concerned Robinson.
“The scary part about all of this, not only for Roy but for anybody in this situation, is they’re competing at that level, and physically you don’t know if they’re up for it or not,” he said.
The stress factor mentioned by Cooper and Robinson is the same thing I mentioned previously. It's not just that the pitch count is higher than the pitcher is used to at this point in the spring, the stress of a very competitive situation sends the adrenalin in overdrive and creates the possibility of the pitcher reaching back for something extra. Roy was throwing 96 mph on the radar.
What are your thoughts?