A fun (for the fans, not the coaches) and unique situation that exists only in baseball...

 

Let's say you have a clear-cut #1, #2, and #3. Your 2nd round match-up could be tougher than your first. Who do you throw? What if the regional favorite is on the opposite half of the bracket (no matter who you are) and you feel you can only beat him with your #1?

 

One line of thinking would be to play for the whole tournament. The other would be to make sure you win the first game. Maybe another would be to try to get to the finals and take you chances there.

 

Every coach's situation is different because of talent and their draw but, generally speaking, what would you do?

There are games that it is very clearly worth throwing down and saving pitching. No offense to St. Henry, but the CCH-St. Henry matchup is exactly such a game. CCH should be able to win this game with their #3, #4, or even #5 pitcher. But in a second round game such as CCH-Ryle/NCC, no way do I take the chance of being upset without having thrown my ace. Especially when your #2 pitcher is pretty darn good and would certainly be better than the starting pitcher of whomever you face in the finals. There just isn't another team from the other bracket (or the entire field) that could offer up the same level pitcher as Nutini in Wednesday night's championship and I'd be kicking myself pretty hard if somehow didn't make the finals and hadn't thrown my stud an inning. You can't win the championship if you're not playing in it.

Go to win the tournament. Save the best for the best team. Look at what the other team is doing with their pitching and take it from there. Maybe start your best 3 inn and see where you stand. If you got a good lead pull your starter. But in all go to win the whole tournament. If you lose the first game so be it. At least you tried.

I think you can make a compelling arguement for either using or saving your ace in this situation. You can't win the 2nd game if you don't win the first but at the same time it doesn't do much good to advance to the regional final if you don't have any pitching left.

 

Either way your going to get criticised if you don't win. I still hear people second guess Apollo's Bob Mantooth for attempted to save Brad Wilkerson for the state final back around 94. He went with Ben Stallings (who was a great HS pitcher himself, spent a few seasons with the Red Sox organization) and they got beat so Wilkerson never got a chance.

 

The way I look at it is that Stallings would have had to pitch at somepoint. If Wilkerson throws in the Semis, Stallings has to throw in the finals. A lot of people feel like that decision cost Apollo a state title. In mind Wilkerson could shut down anyone, but you still have to win the final.

 

In my opinion that bottom line is that the coach knows his players and has to go with his gut as to whether they can afford to pitch down against a particular opponet during the regionals.

There are games that it is very clearly worth throwing down and saving pitching. No offense to St. Henry, but the CCH-St. Henry matchup is exactly such a game. CCH should be able to win this game with their #3, #4, or even #5 pitcher. But in a second round game such as CCH-Ryle/NCC, no way do I take the chance of being upset without having thrown my ace. Especially when your #2 pitcher is pretty darn good and would certainly be better than the starting pitcher of whomever you face in the finals. There just isn't another team from the other bracket (or the entire field) that could offer up the same level pitcher as Nutini in Wednesday night's championship and I'd be kicking myself pretty hard if somehow didn't make the finals and hadn't thrown my stud an inning. You can't win the championship if you're not playing in it.

 

Right on. :thumb:

Ask Oldham county what happened to them when they left their ace standing in centerfield 2 years ago in the first round against Carroll County.

You can't win the 3rd game without winning the first game.

I say you go with your ace if you know you're going to be in for a tough match. If you have a weaker opponent, take your chances with your #2 or #3 because why would you waste you're best on a team that could be weaker than the team you're going to play next? You're 2 and 3 are going to have to go eventually, why not send them in against the weaker squad?

Why couldn't you pitch several kids 2 innings or so if you really don't have a GOOD #2 or #3? Pitch by committe! Save your #1 for the 2nd round? I know that a local coach just worries about winning 1 but don't really worry about the 2nd game until he gets there BUT we need to go to win more than just 1 GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!That showed in our DISTRICT GAME, you have to baby some kids that could really help but our coaches say they want to save him for NEXT YEAR???? What good does that do for the SENIORS this year and you may not even make it NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why couldn't you pitch several kids 2 innings or so if you really don't have a GOOD #2 or #3? Pitch by committe! Save your #1 for the 2nd round? I know that a local coach just worries about winning 1 but don't really worry about the 2nd game until he gets there BUT we need to go to win more than just 1 GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!That showed in our DISTRICT GAME, you have to baby some kids that could really help but our coaches say they want to save him for NEXT YEAR???? What good does that do for the SENIORS this year and you may not even make it NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This a good point and probably what some coaches will do. You can pitch several different combinations of 1, 2, 3, 5, or even 7 innings and it allows you to make multiple appearances.

This a good point and probably what some coaches will do. You can pitch several different combinations of 1, 2, 3, 5, or even 7 innings and it allows you to make multiple appearances.

 

Easier said than done. Most teams use some of their pitchers as fielders, do you just keep them off the field and hurt yourself fielding? Do you leave the next pitcher off the field to warm up? Has the kid ever come in cold to throw a inning or two? How does his arm react to pitching on the side lines and them in a game, then do it again the next day and the next day?

 

If you have done this during the regular season then great but..... It's just tougher than one thinks, if you haven't done it before!

Like I said go for broke. Who cares if you win one game. Go for it all.

Easier said than done. Most teams use some of their pitchers as fielders, do you just keep them off the field and hurt yourself fielding? Do you leave the next pitcher off the field to warm up? Has the kid ever come in cold to throw a inning or two? How does his arm react to pitching on the side lines and them in a game, then do it again the next day and the next day?

 

If you have done this during the regular season then great but..... It's just tougher than one thinks, if you haven't done it before!

 

Some pitchers play 1B. Some DH the day after pitching a lot of innings. Pitchers warm up between innings. You've never seen any of these things happen? I'll give you that fact that you don't do something you haven't done all season long but most teams do these things on a regular basis.

How about pitch your ace in game one and pray for rain so he could come back later in the week with a couple days rain delays.

How about pitch your ace in game one and pray for rain so he could come back later in the week with a couple days rain delays.

 

 

Has worked before in the Ninth, but this year the Champion Window Field (where the Ninth Region is being played) has installed a complete brand new Turf field, which should make rain outs highly unlikely.