Trivia Question: How does a pitcher win a game without throwing a single pitch?

[T_R_Oglodyte]

This stumped me until I learned the answer.

 

[Bunk]

He comes into the game with two outs and picks off a runner. Then his team scores the go ahead run during the next half inning.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

He comes into the game with two outs and picks off a runner. Then his team scores the go ahead run during the next half inning.

Yep. With the added requirement that he doesn't throw another pitch after his team takes the lead during the next half inning. So either he is replaced when his team next takes the field, or it's a walk-off win when his team takes the lead during that half-inning.

 

[bizaro86]

The opposite, losing a game without throwing a pitch, is also possible, I believe.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The opposite, losing a game without throwing a pitch, is also possible, I believe.

To lose a game, a pitcher has to be responsible for putting the winning run on base. So how can a pitcher put a winning run on base without throwing a pitch?

Under the new Intentional Walk rule, a batter takes his base without a pitch being thrown. So a pitcher comes into the game, an intentional walk is issued (representing the winning run) and the pitcher is then replaced. The intentionally walked batter later scores the winning run.

 

[bizaro86]

I was thinking the winning run gets on base via a balk before a pitch is thrown. Normally a balk doesn't give the batter first base, but it does if it happens when someone is able or trying to steal home and the catcher blocks the plate without having the ball.

In that case, the batter could advance to first (charged to the pitchers balk) without the pitcher throwing a pitch. If the pitcher was pulled prior to throwing a pitch and that batter scored the winning run, the pitcher would be charged with a loss without throwing the ball.

The intentional walk rule is another good one though, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[pedro47]

This is my example. A relief pitcher enter the game with two outs and runners are at first and second base. In the top half of the ninth inning. The batter is in box and the relief pitcher, picks out the runner at first base. This end the top half of the 9th inning.

The home score the winning run in the bottom half of the 9th inning.

The relief pitcher wins the game.

Exception to rule. In the All Star Game every pitcher after The starting two pitchers are considered as relief pitchers.

 

[x3 skier]

Baseball has so many funky rules I sometimes think a fan in the stands could be credited with the win.

Cheers

 

[rosebud5]

To lose a game, a pitcher has to be responsible for putting the winning run on base. So how can a pitcher put a winning run on base without throwing a pitch?

Under the new Intentional Walk rule, a batter takes his base without a pitch being thrown. So a pitcher comes into the game, an intentional walk is issued (representing the winning run) and the pitcher is then replaced. The intentionally walked batter later scores the winning run.

Bottom of the 9th and the score is tied.. two outs. Closer comes in. Issues an intentional walk (no pitches). Pitcher tries picking off runner and throws it into right field. Runner goes from 1st to 3rd. The pitcher than balks the runner in from third. Game over.

 

[Makai Guy]

There used to be a weekly feature in Saturday Evening Post called So You Think You Know Baseball that presented all sorts of odd baseball situations and asked what you would rule. It then gave the answer, citing chapter and verse of the rules, and often (always?) an example from actual major or minor league play. As a rabid baseball fan as a kid, I loved that feature.

Looking it up now I see it was written by baseball historian Harry Simmons and ran from 1949 to 1961. A compilation was issued in book form that was a personal treasure.

With all the recent rule tweaking, I suspect a bunch of its content might now be out of date.

The current So You Think You Know Baseball book on Amazon is from 2013 (and so not really current either) and is by Peter E. Meltzer.

 

[pagosajim]

Bottom of the 9th and the score is tied.. two outs. Closer comes in. Issues an intentional walk (no pitches). Pitcher tries picking off runner and throws it into right field. Runner goes from 1st to 3rd. The pitcher than balks the runner in from third. Game over.

Except in the pros, you can't just send the batter to first base as an intentional walk without actually "pitching" the ball. Those "weak", way outside throws the pitcher makes to the standing-up-catcher really are pitches, and are required (notice how the catcher must start the pitch in the "catcher's box" and then step out to catch the thrown ball). In fact, if the batter actually swung at one and missed, it would have been a strike. For an intentional walk, the pitcher would have earned a pitch count of 4.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Except in the pros, you can't just send the batter to first base as an intentional walk without actually "pitching" the ball. Those "weak", way outside throws the pitcher makes to the standing-up-catcher really are pitches, and are required (notice how the catcher must start the pitch in the "catcher's box" and then step out to catch the thrown ball). In fact, if the batter actually swung at one and missed, it would have been a strike. For an intentional walk, the pitcher would have earned a pitch count of 4.

That is not true any more. Starting with the 2018 season, intentional walks are now issued without throwing a pitch. So Miggy can't do this anymore:

 

[rosebud5]

True

Except in the pros, you can't just send the batter to first base as an intentional walk without actually "pitching" the ball. Those "weak", way outside throws the pitcher makes to the standing-up-catcher really are pitches, and are required (notice how the catcher must start the pitch in the "catcher's box" and then step out to catch the thrown ball). In fact, if the batter actually swung at one and missed, it would have been a strike. For an intentional walk, the pitcher would have earned a pitch count of 4.

In HS, college and the minor league.. OK. Thought we were discussing the major league. Notice my logo? Go Nats..

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

True

In HS, college and the minor league.. OK. Thought we were discussing the major league. Notice my logo? Go Nats..

It is in MLB. The batter is waved to first base, with no pitches thrown. Part of "speeding up" the game.

https://baseballrulesacademy.com/new-mlb-intentional-walk-rule/

 

[pagosajim]

That is not true any more. Starting with the 2018 season, intentional walks are now issued without throwing a pitch. So Miggy can't do this anymore:

Well color me uninformed! Did not know they had done away with the ritual. Thanks for keeping me honest!

 

[veg.gie]

Unique situation:
Visiting team is down 5-6. Catcher is injured. DH happens to be backup catcher, is put in to catch. In doing this, the visitors relinquish their DH position and the pitcher is now batting in the 6-hole.
Top of the 9th. Home team rallies and loads the bases. Pitcher is up to bat but gets subbed for by a pinch hitter. Pinch hitter reaches base. Next guy up hits a home run. Pinch hitter is subbed out for an actual pitcher.
Since he was logged as pitcher when his team started winning, he was credited with the win.
Confused? Yes, you am.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Unique situation:
Visiting team is down 5-6. Catcher is injured. DH happens to be backup catcher, is put in to catch. In doing this, the visitors relinquish their DH position and the pitcher is now batting in the 6-hole.
Top of the 9th. Home team rallies and loads the bases. Pitcher is up to bat but gets subbed for by a pinch hitter. Pinch hitter reaches base. Next guy up hits a home run. Pinch hitter is subbed out for an actual pitcher.
Since he was logged as pitcher when his team started winning, he was credited with the win.
Confused? Yes, you am.

I think your description is a bit off. But if I"m following your description, the situation involves the catcher for the home team being injured in the top of the ninth, with the DH moving to catcher and the home team pitcher now having the spot in the batting lineup that had been held by the catcher. Then moving to the bottom of the ninth, a pinch hitter bats for the pitcher, and the home team rallies to win the game.

Then, I think you are indicating that the pinch hitter gets credited with the win because he had subbed in for the pitcher. Is that the correct understanding?

If the situation is as I described, the win goes to the pitcher who was on the mound for the home team at the end of the top half of the ninth inning. Even though a pinch hitter has been subbed in for him in the lineup, he remains the pitcher of record until a new pitcher takes the mound.

Before the DH this happened quite often. Home team rallies to win in the bottom of the ninth (or the bottom of any extra inning), with a pinch hitter being subbed for the pitcher. The win always was assigned to the pitcher of record, not the pinch hitter.

 

[dago]

To lose a game, a pitcher has to be responsible for putting the winning run on base. So how can a pitcher put a winning run on base without throwing a pitch?

Under the new Intentional Walk rule, a batter takes his base without a pitch being thrown. So a pitcher comes into the game, an intentional walk is issued (representing the winning run) and the pitcher is then replaced. The intentionally walked batter later scores the winning run.

Under the new rules the pitcher must face more than 1 batter, however, if he got injured I guess he could be removed

 

[dago]

That is not true any more. Starting with the 2018 season, intentional walks are now issued without throwing a pitch. So Miggy can't do this anymore:

Yea I luv Miggy. And that's one reason why the "traditionalist" don't like the new Intentional walk rule.

Miggy is a future Hall of Famer

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Under the new rules the pitcher must face more than 1 batter, however, if he got injured I guess he could be removed

Yeah - that's a new wrinkle. I suppose the pitcher could issue three intentional walks and then be removed, but that's a nearly ridiculous scenario.

The only scenario where I could see that making a shred of sense if there were two outs, bases empty, and the next two batters are ferocious at the plate, followed by a totally inept batter, It could be that the next two batters are right-handed, and the third batter is left-handed. In the bullpen there is a lefty-specialist whose splits are poor against right-handers, but he's deadly against left-handers.

And the team at bat has used their entire roster, so they can't pinchhit for that left-hander who is in the hole. Then, the manager of the team on the field decides that the desired matchup is his lefty specialist against the third batter and has two intentional walks issued, setting up the matchup with the third batter.

Then, before throwing a pitch to the third batter, the pitcher either balks or there is an errant pickoff attempt, moving runners up to second and third base. So the batter at the plate gets an intentional walk, to set up a force for the third out at any base. With a new batter at the plate, a new pitcher enters the game to get a different matchup. That fourth batter drives in a run that proves to be the winning run, and is charged to the pitcher, who put that runner on base.

Far-fetched, but it does have a thread of plausibility.

 

["Roger"]

Under the new rules the pitcher must face more than 1 batter, however, if he got injured I guess he could be removed

Are you sure this is true. I thought that the new rule was that if a pitcher comes in, they must face at least three batters or force an inning ending out. In other words, a manager can insert a relief pitcher with the intention of having him face just a single batter.

 

[dago]

Are you sure this is true. I thought that the new rule was that if a pitcher comes in, they must face at least three batters or force an inning ending out. In other words, a manager can insert a relief pitcher with the intention of having him face just a single batter.

I believe you are correct

 

[artringwald]

Earlier this month a Twins pitcher made his official major league debut without ever throwing a pitch.

On Wednesday evening, the 28-year-old Cuban right-hander took the mound for the fourth inning after having his contract selected for the first time earlier in the day. But just before he could throw his first career pitch, lightning flashed in the sky above Target Field and a rain delay was called -- and the game was later suspended. It resumed on Thursday and resulted in an 11-3 Twins loss.

Here's the strange twist: Because Cano had been announced as the new pitcher and entered into the system, Wednesday will go down in the record books as his MLB debut despite the fact that he never even threw a pitch, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

One debut, two days: Yennier Cano makes history

MINNEAPOLIS -- One day, when Yennier Cano looks back on his Major League debut, it's safe to say that his recollections of that monumental day in any player's baseball career will be very, very different from those of nearly everyone else in MLB history. On Wednesday evening, the 28-year-old Cuban

www.mlb.com

 

["Roger"]

Fun stuff. Here is an imaginary situation (I would be astounded it has ever occurred) in the spirit of the opening post.

A pitcher throws just one pitch, it is hit for a grand slam home run, but the pitcher becomes the winning pitcher. How is that possible?

The pitcher is brought in in relief in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded with two outs. As stated, he throws one pitch which is hit out of the ball park. The manager for the pitcher's team comes out and notes to the umpire that the batter had batted out of order. The batter is declared out and all the runs are nullified. Then in the bottom of the ninth, the pitcher's team scores enough runs to win the game. The pitcher was the last one on the mound before the home team won and would under normal rules be the winner.

There is one fly in the ointment with regard to this scenario. The official score keeper is allowed to deny a relief pitcher a win if, in the score keeper's mind, the pitcher was ineffective. This rule is in place mostly for when a pitcher gives up a slew of runs, but was the last pitcher on the mound before a team ultimately wins. The score keeper is then allowed to choose whomever he or she considers the most effective pitcher prior to the win. I suspect that in the above scenario a scorekeeper could easily say that a pitcher who only threw one pitch and it was hit for a home run was ineffective and thus should not be the winning pitcher.