Manager Don Mattingly called for a change in September roster rules after the Marlins and Phillies set an unusual major league record on Saturday.
The two teams combined to use 15 pitchers -- seven for the Marlins and eight for the Phillies -- not one of which stepped up to the plate to bat. And that, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, had never happened before in a big-league game in the “Modern Era” (since 1900) that didn’t involve a designated hitter, no matter the number of pitchers used.
“What we did today and really what they ended up doing, too, is something that really only happens in September and, quite honestly, shouldn’t be able to happen,” Mattingly said after the Marlins’ quirky 5-4 loss to the Phillies.