Pitchers are required to bat in the National League, while the American League has allowed a designated hitter since 1973. Because of this, you'll notice that NL games always have a pitcher batting, usually in the 9th spot or sometimes in 8th. Most pitchers aren't going to be producing Shohei Ohtani batting numbers, so managers will give them less action and take on less less risk by keeping them in the back of the lineup.