June 17, 2018

Yes! A Pitcher Can Win & Lose the Same Game

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Yes! A Pitcher Can Win & Lose the Same Game

Suspended Game: Rule 7.02

 

The Yankees-Nationals game on May 15 was suspended after 5 1/2 innings and will resume on Monday June 18 in Washington in the bottom of the sixth with the score tied, 3-3. A variety of questions always accompanies suspended games. Here’s a few and how they will relate to the resumed suspended game this coming Monday.

  • Is it possible for a player to play for both teams?

Yes. If a player who appeared in the May 15 game was traded to the opposing team between May 15-June 18, he can wear opposite uniforms and play in the same game for both teams. Let’s say Tyler Austin was traded from the Yankees to the Nationals on May 29. He can play for the Nationals in the second half of the suspended game as long as he was never substituted for in the first half of the suspended game.

Rule 7.02 (c) reads, “A player who was not with the club when the game was suspended may be used as a substitute, even if he has taken the place of a player no longer with the club who would not have been eligible because he had been removed from the lineup before the game was suspended.”

 

  • Subsequent to May 15, can the Yankees or Nationals use a player who was brought up from the minors, one who has come off the DL, or moved from the 40-man roster to the 25-man roster?

Yes (7.02-c)

 

  • Can a player who was serving a suspension on May 15, play in the June 18 suspended game?

(7.02-c)

 

  •  What if Tyler Austin was removed from the May 15 game in the fourth inning and was traded to the Rockies on May 29. On June 10 he was traded back to the Yankees. Can he play for the Yankees in the second half of the suspended game on June 18?

Rule 5. 10 (d) states, “A player once removed from a game shall not re-enter that game.”

  • Has a player ever appeared in both halves of a suspended game for opposite teams?

According to the Society for American Baseball Research, the answer is no. But it almost happened to pitcher Dave Hamilton. On April 23, 1978, he wore the uniform of the Cardinals.  Hamilton was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates 35 days later on May 28.  On June 26, he wore the Pirates uniform in the second half of the suspended game. He did not appear in either half of the suspended games. If he had pitched in the April 23 game as a member of the Cardinals, he could have also pitched in the June 26 game while a member of the Pirates against the Cardinals unless he had been removed from the first half of the suspended game.

It did occur in the NBA during the 1978-79 season when Philadelphia’s Harvey Catchings and Ralph Simpson, and New Jersey’s Eric Money, played for their respective teams on Nov. 8 in a game that became suspended. Following a February trade, all three players played for opposing teams when the game was resumed on March 23.

 

  • When the game resumes on June 18, who will be the first scheduled batter for the Nationals in the bottom of the sixth?

At this time, Bryce Harper will step to the plate when the game resumes. He will be followed by Anthony Rendon and Matt Adams. In the top of the seventh, the Yankees batting order is scheduled to be Giancarlo Stanton, followed by Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius.

 

  • What pitchers were used on May 15?

The Nationals used Gio Gonzalez the first five innings and Wander Suero in the sixth. Suero would be eligible to continue pitching if Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez wants to use him.

Masahiro Tanaka pitched the five innings for the Yankees. He is currently on the DL.

 

  • Is it possible for the same pitcher to be credited with the win and the loss in the same game?

Yes. Let’s say the Yankees and Nationals play on May 15 with Masahiro Tanaka facing Gio Gonzalez.

The game is suspended after four innings because of light failure with the Yankees leading, 4-2. Both Tanaka and Gonzalez pitch the first four innings. At this point, Gonzalez is the losing pitcher of record.

On June 1, Gonzalez is traded to the Yankees.

When the suspended game resumes on June 18, Gonzalez starts the fifth inning and pitches the rest of the way for the Yankees. He is credited with the win because Tanaka did not pitch five innings. Gonzalez is also charged with the loss since he was the pitcher of record for the Nationals when the game was suspended on May 15.

Gio Gonzalez is the winner and loser of the same game!

Don't strike out!

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