I assume the data are for all of MLB, but are there any AL vs NL differences, perhaps due to the DH rule?

Notwithstanding all the relief appearances (after all, you have to find something for the 7 or 8 relievers in the average bullpen to do), one area where managers seem to have become reluctant to use a reliever is in the 1st inning. Case in point is the Mariners’ 12-2 win over the Yankees a couple of nights ago, in which Seattle got to Phil Hughes for 7 runs before he was relieved (mercifully, but still too late) after facing 10 batters (but retiring only two) in the first inning. It was the 130th time since 1916 that a starter had… Read more »