Ohtani pitching and hitting 2nd tonight...

[57stratdawg]

First time since 1903 a pitcher will hit in the two hole.

 

[57stratdawg]

101 in the top 1 and a solo shot in the bottom of the inning. That ball was crushed.

Love it.

 

[missouridawg]

Im really interested in seeing how this plays out across 162 games.

If he is above average at both and does it the whole season, is it the greatest season ever by a player in the modern era?

 

[mdm3045]

He got off to a hot start pitching and hitting two years ago and then injuries derailed him. If he can stay healthy, he is a top 20ish hitter and pitcher in baseball. Pretty incredible

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

He’s been doing it for a couple of seasons....but he’s been injured a couple of times too.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

He looks to be more of a closer.... that would probably help him have a longer career. I’m not sure how closer/DH works in a lineup tho....

 

[thekimmer]

That's seems easy enough to me. He DH's and then when the pitcher is lifted, he takes his spot and you play without a DH but the batting line-up remains the same.

 

[johnson86-1]

That's seems easy enough to me. He DH's and then when the pitcher is lifted, he takes his spot and you play without a DH but the batting line-up remains the same.

Can you move a DH into the field? I know you can have fielders switch positions, but not sure if DH is just another position where you can swap the pitcher and DH. Could see that rule being drafted either way.

 

[Dawg_4_lifes]

The stuff he is doing is pretty incredible. I am really interested to see what he can do in the regular season when healthy.

 

[patdog]

He can. You lose the DH and he hits as a pitcher. If he's taken out of the game, the next pitcher has to bat for himself.

 

[57stratdawg]

In hindsight, Ohtani seems like more a weapon in the NL. The only teams I remember really pursing him, other than LAA, were Minn and Seattle. I wonder what those conversations were like a few years back.

Maybe he wanted to stay on the West Coast.

 

[Drebin]

Can you move a DH into the field? I know you can have fielders switch positions, but not sure if DH is just another position where you can swap the pitcher and DH. Could see that rule being drafted either way.

The penalty for putting a DH into the field is that you lose the DH and the pitcher spot has to hit. So, for a guy like this, it's not a penalty at all.

 

[thekimmer]

Not so fast....

In hindsight, Ohtani seems like more a weapon in the NL. The only teams I remember really pursing him, other than LAA, were Minn and Seattle. I wonder what those conversations were like a few years back.

Maybe he wanted to stay on the West Coast.

If he's in the NL then he only hits one day a week unless he can play another position in the field. Only the AL allows him in the line up every day as a hitter.

 

[Drebin]

Ohtani's a great story, but he's going to have to pick one or the other at some point. He's already proven to be injury prone and if he's DH'ing on days he's not pitching, over a 162 game season that's going to start affecting him on the mound.

Last night was cool, though.

 

[Go Budaw]

The penalty for putting a DH into the field is that you lose the DH and the pitcher spot has to hit. So, for a guy like this, it's not a penalty at all.

Except when you take him out of the game as a pitcher, then whatever reliever comes in behind him would have to hit, or get pulled out of the game before his spot in the order came up.

 

[Drebin]

Except when you take him out of the game as a pitcher, then whatever reliever comes in behind him would have to hit, or get pulled out of the game before his spot in the order came up.

This is true. The scenario above is if he were a closer. He'd start as a DH and come in as a closer at the end of the game. As a starting pitcher, if he hit for himself, yes, whoever comes in after him would have to hit in his spot.

 

[Go Budaw]

This is true. The scenario above is if he were a closer. He'd start as a DH and come in as a closer at the end of the game. As a starting pitcher, if he hit for himself, yes, whoever comes in after him would have to hit in his spot.

Yeah, so still not a huge drawback unless the game went into extra innings. I guess he’s still allowed to DH even after he comes out of the game as a pitcher (except in inter league road games, of course)?