The Pony League's national tournament for first-year junior high school students on Friday became the latest in Japan to move toward protecting children's arms with a pitch limit.
The hardball competition's board of directors adopted an 85-pitch limit, making it the second national youth tournament in eight days to set pitch limits. On Feb. 14, Japan's national elementary school baseball tournament imposed a 70-pitch limit. On Wednesday, the national high school federation called for a study of potential measures to protect pitchers' arms.
"Elementary and junior high school students are to be nurtured. How can we protect their development?" asked Takeharu Nasu, the former chief executive of Japan's Pony Baseball association.