In baseball, the phrase "stand-by hitter" often refers to a designated hitter or pinch hitter. The Official Rules of Major League Baseball describe the rules regarding designated hitters and substitute batters. These rules provide a standard for competitive baseball in the United States. Learn the rules about designated hitters and substitute batters to better understand how these hitting roles impact the sport.
Designated Hitter Rule
Any league can choose to adopt the designated hitter rule. This rule allows teams to designate a hitter to bat for the starting pitcher or any substitute pitchers. Your team must select the designated hitter before the game starts and record him on the lineup for that game.
Designated Hitter or Pitcher Replacements
If a substitute batter takes the place of the designated hitter, the original designated hitter cannot reenter the game. Even if a substitute pitcher replaces the original pitcher, the designated hitter for the original pitcher still cannot reenter the game.
Inter-League Competition
In inter-league competition, if one team's league uses the designated hitter rule and the other team's league does not use this rule, the competition should follow the rules of the home team's league.
Substitute Batters
Your team can make substitutions at any time when the ball is not in play. Once you remove a player from the game, that player cannot reenter the competition for the remainder of the game. A substitute batter, often referred to as a pinch hitter, must bat in the batting order position of the player he replaces. No player already listed in a team's batting order can serve as a substitute runner for another player.
Member Comments