College pitcher responds to criticism from Keith Law after 160-pitch outing

Jun 14, 2019; Omaha, NE, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores take batting practice during team practice day before the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The college baseball player who threw over 160 pitches in a do-or-die Division III game is responding to criticism over his workload.

Gabriel Romano, a pitcher for Johns Hopkins, threw 164 total pitches in a Division III College World Series game against Lynchburg during the week. While Romano received praise for the workload, Keith Law of The Athletic was less impressed.

Law pointed out that even MLB pitchers are not allowed to throw that many pitches because of the stress it puts on the arm.

No MLB pitcher has thrown more than 150 pitches in a game this century, because it's bad for arms. https://t.co/6N4saIPB3v

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) June 9, 2023

Romano took note of Law’s criticism. He pointed out that he was a fifth-year graduate student pitching his final game, and that the decision to take on that workload was his.

Last game of my baseball career. As a 5th year grad student looking to send my team to a winner take all game I don’t think there is anything wrong with this. At the end of the day it was my call and can confirm my arm is doing just fine. https://t.co/vbPBlhOJna

— gaberomano (@gaberoman0) June 9, 2023

Law is obviously looking at this from the perspective of a scout, and nobody would want to see a legitimate college prospect throw anywhere near this many pitches. Romano, however, is not an MLB hopeful. If he has no plans to keep pitching and was on board with the move, it’s probably fine.

Law is not new to criticism, but given the circumstances, he can probably lay off in this instance.