Hershisher says baseball not in need of change

Published Mar. 5, 2019 5:12 p.m. ET

Orel Hershiser isn't worried about the way analytics are affecting pitching in baseball, saying players and managers will adapt and that the essentials of the game haven't changed.

The former Los Angeles Dodger great told PodcastOne Sports Now co-hosts Tim Dahlberg and Jim Litke that managers will figure out how to play situational baseball with their pitching staffs soon enough and that wholesale changes aren't needed in the way the game is played.

"I don't think the essence of the game has changed," Hershiser said. "But definitely the strategy of the game has changed."

Hershiser holds the major league record for consecutive scoreless innings of 59 innings, set in 1988, the last year the Dodgers won the World Series. Hershiser was the MVP of that series, and the National League Cy Young winner that year.

Hershiser spoke on the podcast from Arizona, where he is serving as a spring training instructor. He is also a Dodger broadcaster.

Dahlberg and Litke discuss baseball in the spring, as well as the recent NFL combine and the woes of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. They also talk about the fine points of espresso, and why March is caffeine awareness month.