Pitchers can still rake. They don’t get as many chances these days, with the universal DH going into effect for the 2022 season, but that doesn’t mean hits from pitchers have disappeared entirely.
Yes, there’s Shohei Ohtani, who is batting as a pitcher whenever he comes to the plate while still in the game as the pitcher on one of his start days. And yes, there are position players who pitch and then come up to bat, meaning their position designation for that plate appearance is as pitcher.
But career pitchers -- players who have pitched more than played any other position in their careers -- get the occasional plate appearance, too, even in the era of the universal DH. Typically, this happens when a team loses its DH in a game.
There have been 21 plate appearances by career pitchers since the universal DH began in 2022.
Answers to the questions you may be asking:
- Who is the last pitcher to bat? Victor Mederos for the Braves on July 17, 2026
- Who is the last pitcher with a hit? Mederos
- Who is the last pitcher with an RBI? Mederos
Here’s a look at the career pitchers to get base hits since the universal designated hitter rule went into effect.
Victor Mederos, ATL, July 17, 2026
With the Braves up, 12-0, entering the eighth, manager Walt Weiss made a few changes to get players who had participated in All-Star festivities off their feet. That included replacing Matt Olson with Dominic Smith, who had started the game at designated hitter -- meaning the Braves lost the DH for the rest of the game. Mederos entered to pitch, and then got his chance at the plate in the bottom of the inning. Given the score, the Rangers had catcher Kyle Higashioka on the mound. Mederos delivered a two-run single, becoming the second career pitcher with a hit since the start of 2022. Mederos had no previous professional or college plate appearances, but did talk postgame about taking BP with teammates in Triple-A at least once in 2025.
Ryne Nelson, AZ, March 30, 2025
In a key spot in the sixth inning, the Diamondbacks pinch-hit for starting second baseman Garrett Hampson with Pavin Smith. That meant Ketel Marte had to move from DH to second the following inning, and Arizona lost the DH. The first time the pitcher’s spot came up, the pinch-hitter was Jake McCarthy, a traditional choice. The next time, it was the eighth inning and the Diamondbacks had already plated four in the frame to tie the game at six. Nelson, a pitcher who was a shortstop his first two years in college in 2017 and ‘18, strode to the plate for the first time as a professional. A double steal put runners at second and third, and Nelson hit a go-ahead single, taking second base on the throw home. This was a pitcher pinch-hitting, giving us the first hit by a career pitcher under the universal DH.