A baseball rules question

[swordsman]

You have a relief pitcher in the game. He is doing well and you hate to take him out for the next one batter he traditionally has trouble with but another pitcher in your pen owns.

 

Could you move the current pitcher to an outfield position for the next batter and them move him back to the mound for subsequent batters?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Yes.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

In MLB, I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Once you leave the mound, and this only applies to the pitcher's spot, you cannot return.

[BCVM22]

Trivia: According to Phil Garner, this is sort of what they would have done with Clemens in Game 4 of last year's NLDS: Move Clemens either to the outfield or first base, and bring in Jason Lane to pitch in relief. Now that would have been something to see.

[moorecg]

If I remember correctly, Herzog used to do exactly this in St. Louis many moons ago. So, I'm pretty sure, the answer is yes, you can do that.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

In MLB, I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Once you leave the mound, and this only applies to the pitcher's spot, you cannot return.

 

Nope, it's the same as any position defensively. I've seen it done too, I just can't remember who it was.

[fromthestretch]

In MLB, I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Once you leave the mound, and this only applies to the pitcher's spot, you cannot return.

 

Actually, I'm almost certain you can do this. As long as you stay in the game defensively, you can return to the mound.

 

I believe though, in the AL, if a pitcher leaves the mound for another defensive position, you lose the DH.

[fromthestretch]

If I remember correctly, Herzog used to do exactly this in St. Louis many moons ago. So, I'm pretty sure, the answer is yes, you can do that.

 

Now that you mention it, I remember him doing that, too. I can't remember the pitcher (it may have been Worrell), but the Cardinals had a right-handed reliever in to face a right-handed batter. The next hitter was a lefty, so they moved the reliever to LF for that batter and brought him back to the mound for the following hitter.

[SouthSideRyan]

Zimmer did it with Les Lancaster at least once.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

In MLB, I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Once you leave the mound, and this only applies to the pitcher's spot, you cannot return.

 

Nope, it's the same as any position defensively. I've seen it done too, I just can't remember who it was.

 

Huh, must be remembering from my youth leagues.

[bhogg]

Zimmer did it with Les Lancaster at least once.

 

Yep, he did it in '89.

 

The title to this thread should be "You Make the Call"

[Rob]

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07220CIN1986.htm

 

Look down to the Reds 10th inning. From that point on Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell keep switching between the mound and the outfield.

 

Interestingly enough, McDowell was in line to win going into the 14th. At that point Orosco switched back to finish the game out. What would have happened had Orosco gotten in trouble? If McDowell had gone back to the mound, could he have gotten the win and the save?

[EricG]

3.03

A player, or players, may be substituted during a game at any time the ball is dead. A substitute player shall bat in the replaced player's position in the team's batting order. A player once removed from a game shall not re enter that game. If a substitute enters the game in place of a player manager, the manager may thereafter go to the coaching lines at his discretion. When two or more substitute players of the defensive team enter the game at the same time, the manager shall, immediately before they take their positions as fielders, designate to the umpire in chief such players' positions in the team's batting order and the umpire in chief shall so notify the official scorer. If this information is not immediately given to the umpire in chief, he shall have authority to designate the substitutes' places in the batting order. A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning; e.g. the pitcher will not be allowed to assume a position other than a pitcher more than once in the same inning. Any player other than a pitcher substituted for an injured player shall be allowed five warm up throws. (See Rule 8.03 for pitchers.)

rules

[Magnetic Curses]

herzog used to do this with deleon, too.

[swordsman]

So how are all these people saying they've seen it when the rules clearly state that you can't?

[BCVM22]

So how are all these people saying they've seen it when the rules clearly state that you can't?

 

A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning; e.g. the pitcher will not be allowed to assume a position other than a pitcher more than once in the same inning

 

Unless I'm reading this wrong, while the switch described in the original post, i.e. putting a pitcher at a position for only one batter and then switching him back in the same inning, can't be done, but as long as it's done only once per inning, the switch of a pitcher to a field position is legal as long as he isn't switched back into the pitcher spot until the next inning/

[goonys evil twin]

So how are all these people saying they've seen it when the rules clearly state that you can't?

 

To me the rule book says you can move a pitcher to another position, let's say LF, but you can't move him again in the same inning to another position unless he's going back to pitcher. So, if 5 guys come up in an inning, for each batter he could be P, P, P, LF, P, but not P, P, LF, RF, P.

 

But I'm no lawyer, or word reading person either.

[EricG]

So how are all these people saying they've seen it when the rules clearly state that you can't?

 

A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning; e.g. the pitcher will not be allowed to assume a position other than a pitcher more than once in the same inning

 

Unless I'm reading this wrong, while the switch described in the original post, i.e. putting a pitcher at a position for only one batter and then switching him back in the same inning, can't be done, but as long as it's done only once per inning, the switch of a pitcher to a field position is legal as long as he isn't switched back into the pitcher spot until the next inning/

I am thinking LF and RF are not considered the same position.

[goonys evil twin]

So how are all these people saying they've seen it when the rules clearly state that you can't?

 

A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning; e.g. the pitcher will not be allowed to assume a position other than a pitcher more than once in the same inning

 

Unless I'm reading this wrong, while the switch described in the original post, i.e. putting a pitcher at a position for only one batter and then switching him back in the same inning, can't be done, but as long as it's done only once per inning, the switch of a pitcher to a field position is legal as long as he isn't switched back into the pitcher spot until the next inning/

 

The part that says "other than pitcher" makes me think he can go back to pitcher in the same innings. He could not go from pitcher, to LF, to RF, back to pitcher. Or, he couldn't go from pitcher, to LF, to pitcher, and back to LF in the same inning. But he could go pitcher, LF, pitcher.

[ManCrushOnNomar]

So how are all these people saying they've seen it when the rules clearly state that you can't?

 

A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning; e.g. the pitcher will not be allowed to assume a position other than a pitcher more than once in the same inning

 

Unless I'm reading this wrong, while the switch described in the original post, i.e. putting a pitcher at a position for only one batter and then switching him back in the same inning, can't be done, but as long as it's done only once per inning, the switch of a pitcher to a field position is legal as long as he isn't switched back into the pitcher spot until the next inning/

 

The part that says "other than pitcher" makes me think he can go back to pitcher in the same innings. He could not go from pitcher, to LF, to RF, back to pitcher. Or, he couldn't go from pitcher, to LF, to pitcher, and back to LF in the same inning. But he could go pitcher, LF, pitcher.

I'm pretty sure that's right.

 

Or at least that's how I read it.

[EricG]

A pitcher may change to another position only once during the same inning; e.g. the pitcher will not be allowed to assume a position other than a pitcher more than once in the same inning

I am reading it as the pitcher will be able to go back to a position already occupied by that pitcher in that inning.

 

If the pitcher moves from P to LF then back to P he can't go to LF.

[davearm]

If a guy goes from pitcher to LF, he must either remain in LF for the remainder of the inning, or return to P.

 

If he returns to P, he has to stay there for the remainder of the inning (or leave the game) -- he can't go to *any* other position.

 

P -> LF -> P is OK

 

P -> LF -> (anywhere except P) is not OK

 

P -> LF -> P -> (anywhere) is not OK

[fiver]

Me thinks i vaguely remember Les Lancaster actually fielding a fly ball successfully in LF during that game...anyone recall?

[Jake]

I saw the Mets/Reds game reffered to here (On TV, I wasn't there.)

 

The two pitchers did switch positions as needed.

 

One memory I have of that game, though, is the pitchers not playing the same outfield position. I'll have to check the box score, maybe that will jog my memory a bit.

 

But, one pitcher would go to left field, the other to right, and Mookie Wilson would move back and fourth. This was 16+ years ago, please don't get on me if I don't remember it exactly. EDIT: Looked up who the outfielder was! :-)

[fromthestretch]

Me thinks i vaguely remember Les Lancaster actually fielding a fly ball successfully in LF during that game...anyone recall?

 

It appears that he did not record a putout.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lancale01.shtml