Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell isn¡¯t the only person in baseball bothered by the rule that allows the Los Angeles Dodgers to carry an extra pitcher because of Shohei Ohtani¡¯s designation as a two-way player. "There¡¯s not another player like that,¡± Counsell said April 20, "but one team gets different rules for that player.¡±
One head of baseball operations, granted anonymity for his candor, said the combination of that rule and another allowing Ohtani to remain as a hitter after he is removed as a pitcher creates the "most lopsided¡± advantage in major professional sports.
Counsell¡¯s remarks sparked a fresh round of anti-Dodger sentiment among some fans. But Major League Baseball and its players union did not enact the rules to benefit the Dodgers. They established them three years apart, while Ohtani was still a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
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