Pitchers are klutzes.

At least American League pitchers are.

On Sunday, Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot while running the bases against the Astros in Houston. He will have to wear a protective boot for at least six weeks, which is a serious kick in the pants to the Yanks’ playoff hopes.

Then, on Tuesday, Boston’s Bartolo Colon was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain caused by swinging a bat against the Phillies.

Swinging a bat? Running the bases?

What’s next?

Are pitchers in danger of drowning in the water cooler? Not to mention the hazardous trek up and down the dugout steps. Must we worry about them developing a rash from touching the rosin bag? Or perhaps choking while trying to chew gum and walk to the mound at the same time?

When did pitching become such a specialized skill that American League hurlers can’t execute such basic baseball fundamentals as swinging a bat and running the bases without getting hurt?

Aren’t those things that Little Leaguers do every day? Yet highly skilled professionals apparently find them not just difficult, but downright dangerous.

Consequently, they fit to a tee — no, not a batting tee; an A.L. pitcher could seriously hurt himself using one of those — the definition of a “klutz.”

Which is to say, one who is clumsy and accident-prone.

Not that their overly protective bosses would refer to such sensitive pitching artistes in such a harsh way. Quite the opposite, in fact. Management — A.L. management, at least — thinks it’s unconscionable that their coddled mound stars should be asked to perform such esoteric skills as swinging a bat or running the bases on those odious occasions when they are forced by the MLB schedule-makers to venture into those N.L. — as in Neanderthal League — parks.

Consider the angry comments of Hank Steinbrenner, the son of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and a man who’s trying very hard to carry on in the worst traditions of his fiery father.

“I’ve got my pitchers running the bases,” Hank said in high dudgeon, “and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that. That was a rule from the 1800s. The National League needs to join the 21st century.

“This is always a concern,” he continued, “of American League teams when their pitchers have to run the bases and they’re not used to doing it. Pitchers have enough to do without having to do that.”

Enough to do?

It’s not like they pitch nine innings anymore. The entire Red Sox staff compiled a total of five complete games during last year’s championship season, and no Boston pitcher had more than one. Compare and contrast that, to choose just one example, with the record of former Sox hurler Luis Tiant, who pitched 23 complete games while going 20-13 in 1973, then came back the next season and racked up 25 complete games while making 38 starts and winning a career-high 22 games. It must have been a miracle that the popular El Tiante was able to pitch so long, and so effectively, in the big leagues.

Not only do today’s bigger, stronger, and better-conditioned moundsmen seldom, if ever, pitch a full nine innings, but they no longer start every fourth day, as pitchers did for decades. It’s every fifth day these days. And if they last as long as seven innings, they become candidates for the Cy Young Award.

So, clearly, asking an American League pitcher to do such exacting tasks as swing a bat or run the bases is above and beyond, not just the call of duty, but, apparently, their athletic ability, as well.

“You’re asking people to do stuff they’re not used to doing,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after Colon hurt himself taking a healthy swing at the offerings of Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels. “That’s difficult.”

Difficult?

Swinging a bat? Running the bases?

Actually, it’s conceivable that running could have been hazardous to Colon’s health. He was described in Wednesday’s paper by baseball beat writer Steven Krasner as “corpulent” — which is a polite way of saying “fat.”

Fortunately, there was no danger of Colon getting on base and pulling who knows what because he struck out twice, albeit taking mighty swings which strained muscles long-forgotten in the bulky Bartolo’s less-than-strenuous fitness regimen.

Still, weren’t these guys actual baseball players at one time? Complete players, who swung bats and ran bases?

Now, they’re just pitchers. And klutzes.

jdonalds@projo.com