DannyW
Senior Member
Peter Moylan brought this up the other night when the Braves were pounding the Rangers 10-0 in the 8th inning. Being old fashioned about MLB traditions, my initial reaction was "no way". Then just a few minutes later the Rangers sent a catcher, yes a catcher, to pitch in the top of the 9th.
It struck that this probably affects the dignity and tradition of baseball more than just conceding the game. The Rangers were waving a white flag, literally, because they were giving up. No hope whatsoever. Sending a batting practice pitcher to the mound just seemed a little Savannah Banana-ish. I mean, what's the point?
In other words, it makes a mockery of the game.
So I'll admit to opening my mind to listen to some tasteful, well thought out options. Maybe a Mercy Option, not a hard and fast Rule, where if a team is down by 10 or more runs in the 8th, the losing manager has the OPTION of conceding with the winning manager's approval. (I can't see the winning manager not approving unless his pitcher was in the middle of a no-hitter or something.)
Fan acceptance may be a problem, but maybe not. Just one of the factors to take into consideration.
Thoughts or comments?
It struck that this probably affects the dignity and tradition of baseball more than just conceding the game. The Rangers were waving a white flag, literally, because they were giving up. No hope whatsoever. Sending a batting practice pitcher to the mound just seemed a little Savannah Banana-ish. I mean, what's the point?
In other words, it makes a mockery of the game.
So I'll admit to opening my mind to listen to some tasteful, well thought out options. Maybe a Mercy Option, not a hard and fast Rule, where if a team is down by 10 or more runs in the 8th, the losing manager has the OPTION of conceding with the winning manager's approval. (I can't see the winning manager not approving unless his pitcher was in the middle of a no-hitter or something.)
Fan acceptance may be a problem, but maybe not. Just one of the factors to take into consideration.
Thoughts or comments?