I'm asking this because they both have Sox in their name

Say a team has an ace like Skenes or Skubal. If they're only at around 90–100 pitches and the game is close late, why don't managers ever just send them back out of the bullpen for an inning or two instead of using a relief pitcher?

Or even on one of their off days, why not use them for a high-leverage inning every once in a while? Wouldn't that be a smart idea?

For example, with the Dodgers if Snell and Glasnow are healthy for the rotation in the playoffs, there’s talk of Wrobleski and Sasaki coming out of the bullpen like last year.
So is a starter and reliever similar enough that the transition is seamless? Or are the approaches and efforts completely different?

Let's say a pitcher has a nasty slider that's clearly his best pitch. Why not just keep throwing that over and over instead of mixing in fastballs, changeups, curveballs, etc.?

Even if they know it's coming, if it's the pitch that's hardest to hit, wouldn't it still make the most sense to spam it?

Trying to understand the strategy behind pitch sequencing

I've only recently started getting into baseball so this might be a dumb question.

I've noticed that when there's a runner on third and the batter hits a fly ball to the outfield, the runner will often tag up and run home after the catch.

But when there's a runner on first or second, they usually don't seem to do the same thing and try to advance to the next base.

Is it just because scoring a run is worth the risk, or is there another reason I'm missing?

How effective is pauses to windups or altering the delivery to the batter hitting? For example, Johnny Cueto was known to pause and hold for longer periods of time in windups and also do quick delivery pitches like a runner was on base. Is this something that can actually help a pitcher?

A while ago I posted a question asking why pitchers don't bat. Now, I'm asking the reverse question:

1. When do position players pitch in a game?

2. Which players get to pitch?

3. Have they practiced beforehand?

4. Why not go to the bullpen then?

Why does it seem like only Asian players use the slap style of hitting? I understand in women’s softball, there’s no power in that but Asians in the mlb also hits home runs with them.

Key Prohibitions

• Inciting or attempting to incite a spectator demonstration by word or sign.
• Using language that refers to or reflects upon opposing players, umpires, or spectators.
• Calling “Time” or using any word/phrase with the intent to make the pitcher commit a balk.
• Making intentional contact with an umpire in any manner.
• Players in uniform may not address or mingle with spectators, nor sit in the stands before, during, or after a game. No manager, coach, or player may address a spectator before or during a game. Opposing players in uniform may not fraternize at any time.
• Fielders may not position themselves in the batter’s line of vision with the deliberate intent to distract the batter Baseball Rules Academy.

Penalties

I think there were a couple of times for the Dodgers when the opposing pitcher was tipping pitches? What they showed on replay was Andy Pages standing on second base and making gestures with his right or left hand, indicating to the batter what pitches might be coming because he could see the pitcher's grip from second base. I think that's not illegal, just Pages taking advantage of the opposing team's mistakes.

But how easy is it for the fielding team to detect that the opposing team knows that their pitcher is tipping their pitches? On replay, Pages' gestures seem obvious. But in the heat of the moment, are the fielders around the baserunner trained to check for clues that their pitcher is tipping their pitches?

I apologize if this is a broad question. As far as I can tell from watching games, if there are runners on the bases after the ball is hit to the outfield on a ground ball or fly ball, the fielders will catch the ball and then throw it to the infielders so that they can either get outs or keep the runners from advancing.

But in the heat of the moment, are the outfielders just throwing the ball in the general direction of the infield and hoping that any infielder will receive the ball? Or are they aiming at a specific infielder?

E.G. if a runner is on first, and the batter hits a ground ball past the infielder towards an outfielder, would the outfielder throw the ball to the second baseman or third baseman to ensure the runners can advance the least number of bases?

What about a caught fly ball where the runner tags up on second base? To which player would the outfielder throw the ball to make sure that the runner doesn't try to advance?

I'd assume that catchers mostly handled picking the pitches because it would be really easy for a batter to steal a sign if pitchers did it. (I know Greg Maddux at least dabbled in this, but I feel he only got away with it because nobody knew to look for it.)

But with PitchCom, doesn't that lessen that factor significantly? I suppose there still might be a risk the batter could potentially hear the speaker in the catcher's ear, so maybe someone can shed light on that.

But this thought comes from the heels of the Ohtani-Rushing scenario, where they were having miscommunication and Ohtani finally took over calling pitches in the third inning. Has this sort of thing already started to become more standard and I'm just missing it?

It seems like ideally it should be the pitcher doing it. They know how they feel, they know what pitches they still have in the tank. Again, going to that Ohtani-Rushing scenario, I believe Ohtani has been dealing with a blister impacting his ability to throw his splitter. How can Rushing confidently call for Ohtani to throw one if he doesn't know how Ohtani feels about it? I guess he could keep signaling it and let Ohtani decide by shaking him off. Idk, just seems a lot easier for a pitcher to do this.

I'm sure there are some scenarios with younger pitchers still feeling out the MLB that you'd rather have a trusted veteran catcher handling that aspect of the game. But I get the impression that for top-tier MLB pitchers, most of them have the catcher still handling this part. How much longer does that last?

I’m a casual baseball fan, I love going to see the Reds play in person a handful of times every season.

But I never understood the role and importance of each position.

The only thing I really know is that biggest, slowest guy usually plays 1st base while the smartest guys are usually the catchers.

Like for example, what is the job of the second baseman? What makes a second baseman great?

Are starting pitchers the most important players on the team?

Do you think women will ever play on a Major League Baseball team? If yes, what position would they play? If No, why not?
My SO asked me, so I’m curious about what others would say to the same question.
I basically said, it’s possible but would make the game less competitive. I would think a Women’s Baseball League would be cool though. What’s your opinion?

Do you think women will ever play on a Major League Baseball team? If yes, what position would they play? If No, why not?
My SO asked me, so I’m curious about what others would say to the same question.
I basically said, it’s possible but would make the game less competitive. I would think a Women’s Baseball League would be cool though. What’s your opinion?

Will to teammates try and drag him to the dugout or something? Guessing the league can impose additional penalties? Does that even happen often at all? Thanks.

Curious if someone can explain a little bit about how the minor league systems work in relation to the majors.

Is every minor league club affiliated with a top team?

Is every player on a minor League list technically eligible for a call up to the majors at any time or do minor league teams have their own players and the players associated with the majors are the only ones who go up or down?

Are there multiple minor leagues at each level eg AAA and how does that work? Are they region based or does each major league team have a team in each league or even multiple?

And one final question about Major league baseball, why are the two LA teams not only in different divisions but different leagues as well? That seems odd to me.

Australian here so sorry if any of this is common knowledge.

Sometimes the umpire does not see the tapping of the cap when the player is challenging, and then when they finally spot it, they assert that it's too late to challenge, even tho it was the umpire's own fault that it's too late. Can't the players, while tapping their helmets, shout "Challenge!" as a way to get the umpire's attention? Or would it be seen as disrespectful? Are players prohibited from saying anything while they challenge? Thanks

For example, I’ve seen arguments about Jesus Luzardo being a bad pitcher, and whenever I bring up his road numbers, i always get the same response: “If you remove anyone’s bad games, they’ll be good.” This makes no sense to me because it’s such a simple and clean condition. Why do MLB fans only listen to frequentist stats?

I've never been to a game in person and only watch on tv. Occasionally, the camera will focus on the head coach, who is usually sitting there chewing on sunflower seeds. I was wondering if the head coach actually interacts with the players in the dugout during the game to, well, coach?