– Why do NFL teams basically play one quarterback all/every game, while MLB teams play multiple pitchers?
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Different pitchers bring different things to the table. A quarterback needs to synergize with his offense, but a pitcher needs to be good against the opposing batter. If the batter hits lefties well, you want a righty pitcher. If a batter hits fastballs, you want a pitcher that throws good off-speed pitches. Teams will design a pitching staff to have every possible option so that they can switch pitchers to have a favorable matchup as often as possible. And the more times a hitter sees a pitcher in a game the more advantage shifts towards the hitter. You don’t even want the same pitcher out there all game unless he’s on particularly good form.
A pitcher physically can’t do it and be effective. The best quarterback on your team is going to get sent out there every possession because he can. A pitcher can’t throw all 27 outs in a game, every game. That would require him to throw 100-200 pitches 5 times a day. Pitching a baseball at max effort is one of the most destructive things you can do to your body on purpose in sports. It’s pretty much expected that a pro pitcher will need to get their elbow reattached at least once in their career. The number of MLB players getting Tommy John surgery is also going up every year as modern understanding of body mechanics is allowing pitchers to extract an extra few MPH out of their arms. This costs them their arms, despite throwing fewer pitches than in the past. You used to have your best guy out there for every pitch. But he probably threw at half effort all game, and it’s better to have your best 10 guys throw max effort than your best one guy lobbing it in. A quarterback will throw far fewer max effort passes in their one game a week than a pitcher in even a typical inning of work. Sometimes because it’s impractical; the receiver’s gotta catch the thing. Sometimes because they’re in a disadvantageous position to plant and make a powerful throw. A pitcher never has that, and can throw
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