Sarris: Longer games, more injuries
From SABR member Eno Sarris at FoxSports.com on September 22, 2014:
“Ever notice that nobody talks about the length of the games when they talk about injuries being up around baseball?” Oakland outfielder Sam Fuld asked before a game against Texas. Maybe it’s time to remedy that.
It’s a simple fact that games are longer. Even before replay became a thing, games were trending longer. Look at the average minutes per game for matchups that went longer than eight innings, and see it jump even since 2002.
<snip>
Though there are plenty of good theories about why there’s a rise in Tommy John surgeries, perhaps we’re missing the simplest explanation: Longer games and more strikeouts means more pitches. More pitches means more chances to hurt yourself.
Read the full article here: http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/longer-games-more-injuries-092214
Originally published: September 22, 2014. Last Updated: September 22, 2014.