Baseball Instruction/Rules/situation question

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Expert: - 4/9/2007


Question
Two-part question.  Is it legal to make a pitching change during during an at-bat?  If so, what happens to the batters count?  Does he get a new count, or does the new pitcher pick up where the previous pitcher left off?  Thank you!

Answer
Robb,

The manager may make a pitching change during an at bat.  The count remains where it is when the change takes place.

However, the manager can not change a pitcher until he faces at least one batter or an out is recorded.  So he could make one mid at bat change, but only if the pitcher also pitched to the previous batter.

Hope this helps!

Brian

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Brian Flaspohler

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Questions about baseball rules, general information about the game, statistical analysis, questions about players, questions about Baseball records. I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a lifelong baseball fanatic. Don't ask me questions about training - this is not my area of expertise.

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