Erickson Brandon J, Buchheit Paul, Rauch Joseph, Segedin Rob, Ciccotti Michael G, Cohen Steven B
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Orthop J Sports Med. 2023 Apr 11;11(4):23259671231162864. doi: 10.1177/23259671231162864. eCollection 2023 Apr.
Pitch counts are tightly monitored in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hidden pitches-including warm-up pitches before and between innings and pitches before the starting/relieving pitcher's appearance in a game-are not as closely monitored.
PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: To report the number of hidden pitches thrown per game and over the course of a season for a single organization. We hypothesized that players who threw more hidden pitches would be at an increased risk of injury compared with those who threw fewer hidden pitches.
Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.
All pitchers who played for a single MLB organization in the 2021 season were included. Hidden pitches, in-game pitches, and total pitches thrown during all games in the season were recorded. Injuries to these pitchers were also recorded. Players were defined as having an injury if they spent any time on the injured list.
Overall, 137 pitchers were included, 66 (48%) of whom sustained an injury and were placed on the IL during the 2021 season (mean time on IL, 53.6 ± 45.6 days). Of the 66 players who sustained an injury, 18 (27.3%) sustained an elbow injury, while 12 (18.2%) sustained a shoulder injury. Only 1 player sustained an ulnar collateral ligament tear. When comparing hidden pitches, in-game pitches, and total pitches between pitchers who sustained an injury and those who did not, there were no significant differences between groups ( = .150; = .830; and = .377, respectively). On average, hidden pitches made up 45.4% of the total number of pitches thrown during the course of the season. When evaluating the number of hidden pitches as a percentage of the total number of pitches thrown in a season, there was no significant difference between pitchers who sustained an injury and those who did not ( = .654).
MLB pitchers who sustained an injury did not throw more hidden pitches than those who did not sustain an injury. Larger scale studies are needed to confirm the results of this single-team study.
美国职业棒球大联盟（MLB）对投球数进行严格监控。但包括局间及局前热身投球以及先发/救援投手在比赛中登场前的投球等隐蔽投球，并未受到同样密切的监控。
目的/假设：报告单个组织每场比赛及整个赛季投出的隐蔽投球数量。我们假设，与投出较少隐蔽投球的球员相比，投出较多隐蔽投球的球员受伤风险增加。
病例对照研究；证据等级，3级。
纳入2021赛季效力于单个MLB组织的所有投手。记录该赛季所有比赛中投出的隐蔽投球、比赛中的投球以及总投球数。还记录了这些投手的伤病情况。如果球员在伤病名单上停留过任何时间，则定义为受伤。
总体而言，共纳入137名投手，其中66名（48%）在2021赛季受伤并被列入伤病名单（在伤病名单上的平均时间为53.6±45.6天）。在66名受伤球员中，18名（27.3%）肘部受伤，12名（18.2%）肩部受伤。只有1名球员尺侧副韧带撕裂。比较受伤投手和未受伤投手的隐蔽投球、比赛中的投球以及总投球数，两组之间无显著差异（分别为P = 0.150；P = 0.830；P = 0.377）。平均而言，隐蔽投球占赛季总投球数的45.4%。评估隐蔽投球数占赛季总投球数的百分比时，受伤投手和未受伤投手之间无显著差异（P = 0.654）。
受伤的MLB投手投出的隐蔽投球并不比未受伤的投手多。需要更大规模的研究来证实这项单组织研究的结果。
