Intentional walk: am I dreaming?

[Dakota]

If such a rule exists, it is an absurd rule, IMO.

The offense is already being given grace by being allowed to continue play (a team is 9 players, not 8). To further protect them by not allowing the defense to take advantage of the hole in the lineup is, well, absurd.

Do they also award an automatic out for fly balls into the gap in the outfield where the missing player would be when the shorthanded team is on defense?

And to Homer's point... How do you tell the difference between an intentional walk and four bad pitches? Or do you just give unlimited BALLs to the batter ahead of the absent player?

Sorry for the mini-rant, but this is just ridiculous.