Since most pitchers bat 9th I was wondering if a pitcher could move up and bat 8 or even 7
2007-06-07 12:10:07 · 13 answers · asked by danserman33 2 in Sports ➔ Baseball
No, they don't have to bat 9th. I've seen Dontrelle Willis bat in the 8th spot. I found he hit 7th a couple times at the end of the '05 season, also.
2007-06-07 12:13:20 · answer #1 · answered by DoReidos 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Batting the pitcher ninth is not mandatory, but it's more than just a tradition too. Pitchers typically are not good hitters; they don't need to be (it's a great bonus if they are) because their role on the team is based upon a vastly different skill set (pitching). So the general notion is that the pitcher is assumed to be a near-automatic out, and gets buried at the end of the batting order to minimize his impact.
The last starting pitcher I know of who did not bat ninth was Todd Stottlemyre when he was with St. Louis in 1997-98. LaRussa batted him eighth a total of five games. Here's one: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B07090SLN1998.htm
Relief pitchers, however, get inserted up and down the lineup depending on what other player the manager wants to take out (usually whomever made the last out in the previous inning), and they usually don't actually come to the plate, but it does happen now and again.
2007-06-07 19:33:52 · answer #2 · answered by Chipmaker Authentic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Threre is no rule in the NL that says that they have to bat 9th. Pitchers are uasaly the worst batters on the team so they go at the bottom of the order. If the pitcher was really good they could bat him 8th or 7th but most teams bat there pitchers 9th.
2007-06-07 20:50:33 · answer #3 · answered by Mr. Smith 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is nothing that says a pitcher has to bat ninth. The manager can submit any batting order that he chooses to. But the pitcher almost always is the weakest hitter in the lineup, so having him hit ninth is usually best.
2007-06-07 20:05:17 · answer #4 · answered by frenchy62 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The pitcher can bat in any place in the lineup. It's just that pitcher's aren't the best hitters. Dontrelle Willis batted 7th in a game last year.
2007-06-07 19:41:43 · answer #5 · answered by Sixteen and Oh 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No but most coaches will put the pitcher far back in the line-up because (if you ever watch baseball and I'm assuming you do) most pitchers have a horrible batting average and couldn't get more than a double if their life depended on it.
2007-06-07 19:19:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any player can bat anywhere in the lineup. Pitchers bat ninth because the poorer hitters usually bat at the bottom of the lineup.
2007-06-07 19:45:37 · answer #7 · answered by ligoneskiing 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, but since most pitchers cant hit they put them last so they get fewer at bats during the games and not up at crucial times of the game
2007-06-07 19:20:14 · answer #8 · answered by john w 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no they could bat in any spot in the lineup it is just that they do not have as much power or speed as most players. catchers and pitchers do not have much speed because they are always putting pressure on their legs. they can waste their power because theythrow the ball the most on the team and the catcher trys to throw out the runner, and the pitcher just pitches a lot.
2007-06-07 20:13:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, pitchers do not have to bat ninth. They usually do bat ninth, but - like everyone else - can technically hit anywhere in the batting order.
2007-06-07 19:41:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋