Baseball rules question (stall, baby, stall!)

The Game Room
1

Is there anything in the rules that would prevent an obvious stall tactic like this one? I’m thinking back to that WS game where LaRussa got the wrong guy up (“what are you doing here?” or whatever he said when he saw him). At that point does he have any options to get the pitcher he wants warmed up and ready?

For example, new pitchers coming into a game get a certain number of warm-up pitches on the mound. Does the pitcher he brought in, the “wrong” pitcher, have to throw a pitch? Could he send him back, or…send him to play first base (after a lengthy conference on the mound), and have the first baseman come to the mound, throw the standard number of warm-up pitches (nothing taxing on his arm, just having a catch with the catcher, more or less), then “pull” him (after a lengthy conference on the mound), send him back to first base, and do the same with the second baseman, then the third baseman (moving the “wrong” pitcher to the temporarily empty positions, so as not to burn another player)? All the while, the pitcher he really wants is up and warming up.

And if a pitch MUST be thrown, have the “wrong” guy throw an unhittable ball, then pull him for the first baseman (sending the “wrong” guy to first, after a lengthy conference on the mound, yadda, yadda, yadda), have the first baseman throw the warm up pitches, then throw one more unhittable ball, then back to first for him, and the manager brings in the “right” pitcher (after lengthy mound conference), now to pitch with a 2 ball count.

Is the relief pitcher “on the clock” with his warm-up pitches from the mound? Or could he take 30 seconds between pitches?

If a relief pitcher needn’t throw a single pitch (before being pulled), seems like you could easily stall long enough, using the position player ploy I described. But that seems so easy, it can’t be permitted or somebody would have figured that out about a hundred years ago. But even if a relief pitcher must throw a pitch, couldn’t a manager stall through mound conferences, position players warming up, etc., to get the pitcher he wants ready with nor worse than a 2-ball count?

What are allowable stall options for a manager who needs a currently cold pitcher to get up, warm, and ready? Could be obvious to everyone in the stadium that it’s a stall, but the rules permit it, IOW–that’s the question.

2

When a pitcher takes the mound, he has to throw a pitch. So you’ll only get through 3 such iterations, and that’s if the ump doesn’t warn you off. They have a similar “don’t be a jerk” rule they can fall back on.

3

What would they be warning you off about, if you’re following the rules? Bring in a pitcher, have him warm up, throw a pitch, then back to his position.

And if you get 2 or 3 iterations, that’s the point. A lengthy conference on the mound, warm-up pitches, one ball, then out you go…repeat…

4

Baseball rules (pdf).

“Rule 3.03 Comment: 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.”

Rule 3.05 “(a) The pitcher named in the batting order handed the umpire-in-chief, as provided in Rules 4.01 (a) and 4.01 (b), shall pitch to the first batter or any substitute batter until such batter is put out or reaches first base, unless the pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the judgment of the umpire-in-chief, incapacitates him from pitching.
(b) If the pitcher is replaced, the substitute pitcher shall pitch to the batter then at bat, or any substitute batter, until such batter is put out or reaches first base, or until the offensive team is put out, unless the substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief’s judgment, incapacitates him for further play as a pitcher.”

5

Reported.

6

That answers that. Thanks.

John DiFool, what did you report?

7

Most likely a spam post that was removed.

8

^ Or maybe for a forum change to “The Game Room.”

9

You’re right. I didn’t notice which forum this was in. :smack:

10

I had a friend who was an umpire who told me some funny stories about umpiring and some arcane but interesting rules.

As to pitchers, he pointed out (we were at the game talking) that at the end of the pitchers warm up pitches the umpire will look up at the press box area----where the “official scorer” is located-----and point to the pitcher/ pitcher’s mound and then point up to the official scorer to signify that the pitcher is now ‘officially’ in the game. In 40 years I’d never noticed this small gesture and I bet most fans don’t either.

And you know, I now always look for that to happen. And…it always does. At any rate, maybe the pitcher is not officially in the game until the warm up pitches are done and the ump says he’s in the game.

As to what you can do to stall in the event the wrong relief pitcher shows up on the mound…

11

Moved from GQ to the Game Room.

samclem, Moderator

12

Not directly on point, but there exist pace-of-game rules to keep stalling down. They’re MLB’s, not in the official rulebook as far as I know, but Jerry Manuel was fined for an obvious attempt to ice a closer in 2009.

(It didn’t work.)

13

Here are some relevant rules:

So there ya go. The reliever can only throw 8 pitches and can only take 1 minute to do it. When pitching, you’ve got 12 seconds to throw.

14

And when has the 12 second rule ever been enforced?

15

I knew someone was going to say that, but I actually timed a whole game once. Twelve seconds is a loooooong time to deliver a pitch. Doubly so, when you consider that it only starts when the batter is in the box and alert and when no runners are on base.

Try it yourself. Clock the pitcher when the bases are empty. Start the count when the ball enters his glove or when the batter is ready, whichever is last. You’ll see. It’s much faster-paced than you think.