Or could it be a self fulfilling prophecy by believing we are smarter now and that limiting innings and counting pitches instead of letting guys throw to get their arms ready. And it gets more and more restrictive as the years pass, even though it isn't doing anything preventing injuries. Not long ago 120 pitches was considered the soft limit for a game. That number is now 100. Relievers pitching 3 days in a row max is now 2. The only thing that holds any merit, IMO, is how kids play year round now instead of playing other sports back in the day.