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LuckyPucks t1_jd6f6wc wrote

Reply to comment by Doggleganger in Japan defeats USA 3-2 in WBC Final. by AJMax104

Pitchers don't hit in the NL anymore. Both leagues have a DH.

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Doggleganger t1_jd6fbr4 wrote

Damn, I'm an outdated old man. When did that change?

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LuckyPucks t1_jd6fh57 wrote

They only implemented it last season so it's understandable for some people not to know that rule change.

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fzkiz t1_jd720jo wrote

Does that mean they literally can’t hit and pitch in the same game or they don’t have to?

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tommypopz t1_jd78xtc wrote

I think they made a rule allowing a pitcher to DH for himself, then stay in the game, just for Shohei

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dalnot t1_jd85oii wrote

If they get a pinch hitter in for them, can they still pitch?

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tommypopz t1_jd8w648 wrote

I don’t see why not, since the original player is both positions merged, that pinch hitter becomes the DH and the pitcher stays as is. I don’t know if we’ll ever see that happen though, since it’s rare enough in the first, and Shohei’s such a damn good hitter that you’d rarely pinch him. Plus, modern day managerial pitch limits being what they are, one’s likelier to stop pitching before they stop batting.

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cdbloosh t1_jd7on3d wrote

They don’t have to. For about 50 years the American League had the DH rule, which allows a different guy to bat in the pitcher’s spot. Technically this is an option but until Ohtani it was an option that was literally always taken, because until Ohtani there hasn’t been a player who is world class at both pitching and hitting in over 100 years. The National League required the pitcher to bat.

As of a few years ago both leagues have the DH now.

MLB also recently implemented an “Ohtani rule” which basically allows the pitcher to DH for himself, meaning he can remain in the game as the DH once he is no longer pitching. Previously if he batted for himself, that would mean the team had chosen for the pitcher to bat instead of using a DH, which is a choice you can’t go back on, so he would have to be removed from the batting lineup once a new pitcher replaced him.

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the_quark t1_jd6hgzc wrote

They "temporarily" did it as part of the Coronavirus rule changes. But they just made it temporary.

And yeah, MLB sees all the excitement around Ohtani and their immediate response is "obviously no pitchers should hit."

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OneBar1905 t1_jd6lt21 wrote

Universal DH allows Ohtani to hit more often. He can hit every day, rather than just when he pitches.

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