Pitch counts only mitigate somewhat the damage these guys are doing to themselves. Yes, it's better to only throw the ball 70 times as hard as you can, as opposed to 95 times, but throwing the ball as hard as you can is going to blow through most UCL's eventually, regardless. UCL (Tommy John) surgery is going up and up every year for the last several years.

All the young "fans" clamoring for computer-called balls and strikes are not helping. The more tightly the strike zone is called, the more pitchers have to increase velo to compensate for a smaller strike zone. Maddux could get by with a 91-93 mph heater because when it's 2-3 inches off the plate it's harder to hit it well or fair, but guys had to swing because by the 5th inning, Maddux had worked the ump into a 21-22" wide strike zone. That's not so common these days, and will be non-existent when computers call balls and strikes. Young "fans" need to understand that a pitcher working the ump's strike zone is part of the game, but that opinion falls on deaf ears.

Maybe we will see a resurgence in knuckleballers... idk