The Pitchless Pitcher
New puzzler time.
This is a sports puzzler. Baseball, to be exact. Here we go.
Lefty McDougal, star pitcher for the Kenosha Ramblers, had an incentive clause in his contract that guaranteed him an extra $1000 bucks if he wins 20 games in the season.
It is the last game of the year and Lefty has 19 wins so far. The last game day arrives. He is scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the last game. They are playing the worst club in their league.
An hour before the game starts, the manager approaches Lefty and says, "You are not starting this game."
And Lefty says, "Why not?? You know it is worth an extra $1000 to me?"
And the manager says, "Well, that's the problem. The owner of the club wants to keep his money and he told me that if you threw a single pitch today, I'd be looking for a new job in the spring. But don't give up hope. Maybe I'll think of something!"
Lefty walked away kicking the dirt. He was obviously quite discouraged.
So the puzzler question is, what could the manager think of that would allow Lefty to win his 20th game and collect his bonus money without throwing a single pitch?
Don't forget, he is not allowed to throw any pitches, but must somehow win the game, as the winner pitcher, to get his bonus.
