SAN DIEGO – When is an innings limit not an innings limit?
As Dodgers coaches and executives contemplate how much more rookie pitcher Julio Urias can – and should – give them this season, it’s worth flashing back to April 11. Urias made his first regular-season start that day for Triple-A Oklahoma City in Memphis, Tenn.
Matt Herges, the Oklahoma City pitching coach, watched and waited as Urias threw one scoreless inning after another. Urias’ pitch count reached 73 after five innings when it was decided he’d met his limit. He still hadn’t allowed a run.
Often, the decision to remove Urias wasn’t easy.