One of the stray things you’d hear from folks who hate the designated hitter is that since pitchers don’t have to step into the box themselves, they can throw at hitters with reckless abandon. They’ll never put themselves in peril.
That was always a silly point in my view, since we see pitchers retaliate against OTHER players on the team all the time. Pitchers would find a way to exact their revenge, even if they couldn’t literally throw at the other pitcher.
But hey … what if a team’s designated hitter *is also* a pitcher! Then boy howdy, if you plunk him, you better watch out!
Shohei Ohtani is coming for you:
Ohtani is starting the Angels’ season finale against the A’s today, so that was his joke there with A’s first baseman, Seth Brown. Coming for you tomorrow, pal.
Juuuuuuust kidding, of course. Shohei Ohtani would never. Or would he! The seeds of doubt have been planted!