Visits to pitcher, playing pro rules

[Publius]

Originally Posted by Brblueump44

They play strict American League rules in this league but apparently other umpires had had this same situation and allowed the pitcher to remain in the game as a position player.

They may be old-timers who haven't kept up. It used to be a league difference--in the American League the pitcher was only required to be removed from the mound and was ineligible to pitch; the NL required removal from the game.

IIRC, the rule used to stipulate only the pitcher's "automatic removal." Now it says "automatic removal from the game."

Other differences were when a trip concluded (AL-manager crossed foul line; NL-when he left the mound and stepped on the grass); whether pitchers could wear golf gloves on their non-pitching hand (AL-no; NL-yes); and number of lineup copies to give to the umpire at the plate meeting (one league was 3, the other 4 but I don't recall which was which).

When doing "summer ball" you could use those differences to your advantage when some smart-aleck manager who said they were playing "National League rules" tried to show you up. They all thought it mean merely "no DH". That is, until they wanted to take clean-up and .490 hitter Johnny off the mound and stick him at short, as they'd been doing all year.

"Sorry, skip--National League rules."