hurler

What once was something a hurler became because he wasn’t good enough to be a starter is now a vital role manned by succession of the hardest throwers.

But as pitchers across baseball push for higher velocity, more hurlers are going under the knife — for a first time, a second time and in some instances, a third or fourth procedure.

Granted, Johnson was an anomaly, the only hurler ever to amass more than 200 innings and 300 strikeouts in multiple seasons well into his 30s.

Tinsley and Terry powered UCLA’s return to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series, the first appearance for the two hurlers who shouldered nearly every inning all season.

The inspirational Mexican immigrant tossed 147 pitches — unheard of today when managers freak out as hurlers reach 100 — and gutted it through the full nine innings for a 5-4 victory.