April 12th vs. The Royals

What I found most interesting about today is that the Yankees worked the Royals pitchers for 193 pitches (in 8 innings). On average, a team usually throws around 140 pitches per game.

So, the Yankees looked at 24 pitches per inning, on average, today. The usual average for a game, in general, is around 16 pitches per half inning. I know that 8 pitches more an inning doesn’t seem like a lot - but it’s a big difference (when the innings start to pile up).

Of course, against good pitching, the Yankees need to find another way to win - because you’re not going to get the chance to try and wear down the other team. But, that’s a topic for another day.

This is a nice win today because it sets up the team well. New York is now back at .500 and has its ace on the hill tomorrow. Randy Johnson needs to get the team a win tomorrow - to keep the forward progress.

A loss tomorrow just puts the team back in the below .500 hole. And, the next 5 games that follow are against teams with talent - all on the road.

A loss tomorrow could spring board into a 6-8 start to the season. A win tomorrow could spring board into a .570 winning percentage after 14 games.

That’s as big as the difference between seeing 16 and 24 pitches per inning.

April 12, 2006 | Filed Under Game Commentary 04/06