The approach evolved somewhat as the potential for a two-week stoppage turned indefinite, leaking into a month and then 3½ months without games.
In the end, it was about just throwing enough.
“My thought process was to keep their arms in shape without taxing them too much and not having them go backward from where they were,” Padres pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. “The worst thing you can do is stop and start again, especially given it’s not the same time slot you’re used to.”
Everything about this coronavirus-cooked Major League Baseball season will be about adapting, especially for pitchers.