10 bits of baseball history I learned from "A Game of Inches"

4. Intentional walks, which have never been popular with fans, have led some to suggest ways to discourage them.

Frank Franklin II/AP
Would disincentives have forced pitchers like C.C. Sabathia to refrain from walking batters?

Branch Rickey had an idea which was never adopted. He wanted to let the batter following the intentionally walked player start off with a 1-0 or 2-0 count. An even more radical disincentive once put forth was to allow the batter to decline the free pass, and, if walked twice in a row, he would be awarded second base.

"Into the Story" – from Bill Clinton to Vince Lombardi, a collection of the best from journalist David Maraniss

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