Little League managers work to limit pitch count for their aces

When Alan Bowden, manager of the Virginia Little League team, called time with one out left in the top of the fourth inning Sunday, it didn’t matter that his team was an out away from an 11-0 win and its second consecutive no-hitter to start the Little League World Series. A no-hitter wasn’t on his mind; pitch count was.

Little League has strict rules on how many pitches a player can throw before having to take a rest day, ranging from none for up to 20 pitches to four days of rest for 85 pitches, at which point the player has to come off the mound. The rule was put into place in 2010 and has added a dimension to the annual tournament in South Williamsport, Pa. Managers have to decide, often before a game starts, how many pitches they want starters to throw. There’s plenty of risk involved. If a pitcher maxes out, that player needs four days of rest before pitching again. By that time, the team could be eliminated from the tournament.

Bowden and his club have gotten burned in the past by not having enough pitchers available, but at the LLWS, a meticulous approach to managing pitchers and pitch counts has Loudoun South Little League from South Riding, Va., in an enviable position. Virginia is one win away from reaching the U.S. championship game heading into its game with Hawaii today. The club has every one of its pitchers available — and they have yet to allow a hit through two games and 11 innings.

“We’ve got a pecking order,” said Bowden, who made no pitching move late in the game Sunday, after double-checking the pitch count.“But we do have six or seven kids on our team that can win us a big game.”