Pitch clock to blame for pitchers' elbow injuries, MLBPA exec says

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Major League Baseball’s two top pitching stars – the Cleveland Guardians’ Shane Bieber and the Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider – were among those who suffered elbow injuries within the first few days of the season.

Not to mention, the New York Yankees’ Jonathan Loaisiga, the Miami Marlins’ Eury Perez and the Oakland Athletics’ Trevor Gott also suffered elbow injuries. Gerrit Cole was forced to miss the first few months of the season with an elbow problem as well.

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Braves pitcher Spencer Strider delivers in the first inning of the Arizona Diamondbacks game, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players Association, put the onus on the pitch clock.

"Despite unanimous player opposition and significant concerns regarding health and safety, the commissioner’s office reduced the length of the pitch clock last December, just one season removed from imposing the most significant rule change in decades," Clark said in a statement.

"Since then, our concerns about the health impacts of reduced recovery time have only intensified. The league’s unwillingness thus far to acknowledge or study the effects of these profound changes is an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset – the players."

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber walks back to the dugout after throwing against the Mariners, Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

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MLB cited analysis by Johns Hopkins in