High school is the place where boys who suffer frailty of ego can elevate their status to that of a man. It’s the place where boys callous their souls, enrich their bravado, and probably get arrested for stealing a 40 oz. from the local deli. (It was only once. We swear.) Unfortunately, it can also be a place of insurmountable humiliation, as exemplified by one high school pitcher in Japan.

Japanese high school pleaded for a regional game to be abandoned after surrendering 66 runs in less than two innings, local media reported on Thursday. The coach of Kawamoto technical high school threw in the towel to spare his pitcher’s arm with his team losing 66-0 with just one batter out in the bottom of the second.

The hapless hurler had already sent down over 250 pitches, allowing 26 runs in the first inning and 40 in the second before Kawamoto asked for mercy. “At that pace the pitcher would have thrown around 500 pitches in four innings,” Kawamoto’s coach was quoted as saying. “There was a danger he could get injured.”

Look on the bright side, brah: you’re not a major pitcher named Eric Gagne whose already blown three saves this year. Damn we really wanted to dog on him today.

Japanese baseball team hits 66 runs in two innings [Reuters, via The Big Lead]
Image [CC1]