If you look at a V8 rod from the side and draw a line down through the center of the beam, you'll see that one face of the big end is closer to that center line than the other. The face (larger if I recall) that is closer to the center line is the one that faces the other rod in the V8 that shares the same crank throw. The L6 (not having a neighbor) has the same distance to either face from the beam center line.
