Baseball Quiz: Off-field and On-field Rules

Two nice tidbits from Jim Caple's Off-Base this week. Both relate to sports law, understood as the law governing sports.

First, Caple points out how San Diego's Chris Young manipulated the system in serving a 5-game suspension for throwing at the Cubs' Derrek Lee last month. Young pitched the Wednesday before the All-Star Game, then began his suspension with the next four games before the Break--games, Caple notes, in which Young almost certainly would not have pitched. Young then pitched in the All-Star Game, then sat out the team's first game after the Break--another game in which he likely would not have pitched. So Young was "suspended," yet in that time never missed a start, never missed a game in which he likely would have appeared, and got the honor of pitching in the All-Star Game (Motto: "This time, it counts, but not too much"). Caple argues, correctly, that this is a problem with MLB's system of suspensions as they apply to starting pitchers and to rules that allow the player to determine when he will serve his suspension.

Second, Caple presents the following pitching line for Oakland reliever Kiko Calero, last Thursday against the Twins.

2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K and one (1) pitch.

How could he pitch 2/3 of an inning (meaning he got two men out), give up one hit, and only throw one pitch?

Give your best guesses in the Comments (and no jumping to Caple's column for the answer). I will reveal the result tomorrow.

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