# Pitchers pinch hitting **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 27, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869 "2013-04-27T23:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/1 "2013-04-27T23:38:51Z")
Today the Pirates have sent two pitchers (James McDonald and Wandy Rodriguez) in to pinch hit in bunting situations. This seems to be a rare event. Are any stats kept on this? I don’t remember this happening twice in a game before. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/2 "2013-04-28T00:34:57Z")
The Giants sent starter Madison Bumgarner in to pinch it a couple of times. June 27, 2010 against Boston (which is the one I remembered) and twice in 2011. I can’t remember it ever happening twice in a game though. It seems stats are kept at [Baseball-Reference.com](http://www.baseball-reference.com/), but you might have to look it up by player. That’s how I found Bumgarner’s stats. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/3 "2013-04-28T00:52:26Z")
I think there’s been a pitcher or 2 the Bucs have used semi-regularly in the past to PH, but I can’t remember the name(s). To address the OP’s question, I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen or heard of it happening twice in a game. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/4 "2013-04-28T01:10:07Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I think there’s been a pitcher or 2 the Bucs have used semi-regularly in the past to PH, but I can’t remember the name(s). > > To address the OP’s question, I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen or heard of it happening twice in a game. In the 80s we used Don Robinson and Rick Rhoden in pinch hit situations. Those were real pinch hits. The two today were for bunting purposes. (Although Wandy pulled back and singled to left). I would imagine that there are no stats kept on this.. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/5 "2013-04-28T01:27:35Z")
The Cubs would use Carlos Zambrano as a pitch hitter on occasion. He was a pretty good hitter with a lot of power for a pitcher (24 career HRs). I seem to recall a ph HR or two, but wouldn’t swear to it. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/6 "2013-04-28T02:15:42Z")
Back in the 90s, the three big Braves pitchers, Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddox pitch hit quite often. Not sure about two in the same game though, that’s got to be pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/7 "2013-04-28T02:38:53Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > The Cubs would use Carlos Zambrano as a pitch hitter on occasion. He was a pretty good hitter with a lot of power for a pitcher (24 career HRs). I seem to recall a ph HR or two, but wouldn’t swear to it. If I’m reading [this right](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=zambrca01&year=Career&t=b), he’s 3 for 35 as a pinch hitter, or .091, all singles. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/8 "2013-04-28T03:37:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If I’m reading [this right](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=zambrca01&year=Career&t=b), he’s 3 for 35 as a pinch hitter, or .091, all singles. The 3 for 35 is for all situations as a substitute, including relief pitching appearances in which he hung around long enough to bat. Scrolling down a bit reveals he’s 3 for 29 (a slightly more robust .103) as a pinch-hitter. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/9 "2013-04-28T03:49:00Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > The 3 for 35 is for all situations as a substitute, including relief pitching appearances in which he hung around long enough to bat. Scrolling down a bit reveals he’s 3 for 29 (a slightly more robust .103) as a pinch-hitter. Ah, yes, one category down. Missed that. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/10 "2013-04-28T04:06:19Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > In the 80s we used Don Robinson and Rick Rhoden in pinch hit situations. Those were real pinch hits. The two today were for bunting purposes. (Although Wandy pulled back and singled to left). I remember Robinson PH now, but still blank on Rhoden, which is weird, since they played together. I didn’t really follow the Bucs in earnest until 87 or 88. Looking them up. . .ahh, Robinson played for the Bucs in 87 while Rhoden was gone after 86. Answers why I didn’t remember him AND when I started following the Pirates. > [@jtgain](#): > > I would imagine that there are no stats kept on this.. THIS, right here, may be the most significant statement in this thread. If true, I think it’s the ONLY thing they don’t keep stats on. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/11 "2013-04-28T04:21:36Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > In the 80s we used Don Robinson and Rick Rhoden in pinch hit situations. Those were real pinch hits. [Rick Rhoden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rhoden) is particularly famous as the first pitcher ever to be a DH, by Billy Martin for the Yankees in 1988. > [@](#): > > Rhoden earned a reputation as an outstanding hitting pitcher. He had an eleven-game hitting streak in 1984, one of the longest all-time for a pitcher. > > On June 11, 1988, New York Yankees manager Billy Martin made him the Yankees’ starting designated hitter, going 0-1 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly. He batted 7th in the lineup, ahead of Rafael Santana and Joel Skinner. He was the first pitcher to start a game at DH since the AL’s adoption of the DH rule in 1973. He was pinch hit for by José Cruz in the Yankees’ 8-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.[1] ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitchers-pinch-hitting/656869/12 "2013-04-28T06:33:35Z")
Rick Reuschel and Vern Law also pinch hit for the Pirates, but one of the best ever was Ken Brett. He had 27 hits for the Pirates one year. John McDonald will have serious trouble duplicating that this year.