[rrcoleman]

Coach visits mound in eighth inning and changes pitchers. Later in the same inning he visits mound again. Must he change pitchers at this time?

I know that three charged conferences without penalty (removal of pitcher) are allowed in the first three innings, that any of these that are unused are not carried to extra innings and that only one charged conference without penalty is allowed per extra inning.

I also know that in the first seven innings if the pitcher is changed the conference is not charged.

The question: Is a conference in an extra inning charged whether the pitcher is removed or not.

Quoting from rule 3-4-1: "Prior to accumulating three charged conferences in seven innings or less, a conference is not charged if the pitcher is removed as a pitcher". Interpreting this literally implies to me that removing the pitcher making the conference not charged applies only to the first seven innings and that the pitcher must be removed during any conference after the first of each extra inning whether or not the pitcher was removed during that first conference, but I'm left wondering whether this is really the intent or whether 3-4-1 is simply not clearly written. (I think it would not be the only section of the rule book for which that is the case). I've tried without success to find either a case book play or a BRD play which would clarify the status of a first conference in an extra inning in which the pitcher is removed.

[Edited by rrcoleman on Feb 16th, 2002 at 08:04 PM]