When the Cleveland starting pitcher was removed after six innings, despite allowing no runs, only four hits, and no walks, it reminded me of how the management of pitchers has changed over the years.
Back in
1962, relief pitchers even then were a major factor in games, however the average standard pitching rotation was four men, and starting pitchers tried to pitch a complete game. In 1962 there were 844 complete games pitched.
In
2016, we have five or six man pitching rotations, and only 83 complete games were pitched. Four teams had zero complete games pitched.