Quote:
Originally Posted by frankbmd
In the good old days before 2017, when intentional walks required four pitches before the batter was awarded first base, were those four pitches credited to the pitcher and his all important "pitch count"?
|
The pitches associated with an intentional walk do count towards the pitchers total count. With the rule change in 2017, you can either signal for an intentional walk (which is what all teams pretty much do now) or still throw four intentional balls (like before 2017).
Some people are of the thought that the rule minimizes wear and tear on a pitcher from discouraging managers and players to try to pitch around a batter during an intentional walk.