In this episode – Baseball's New Rules . . .
In the final out in a Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training game on Saturday, February 25, 2023, the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox ended in a 6–6 tie after Braves player Cal Conley struck out for not getting set in the batter's box "in time."
Look at the end of the first paragraph of this post, "In time." That's not a phrase you often hear connected with baseball; get used to it because baseball has entered a new era this season. Overly concerned it's getting overshadowed by faster-paced sports. This year's goal is to speed up the game and generate more offense. These rules include the following;
- A pitch clock so pitchers (and hitters) can't lollygag between pitches. Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with empty bases and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Hitters must be in the batter's box with eight seconds on the pitch clock. How will this be enforced: If a pitcher has not started "the motion to deliver a pitch" before the clock's expiration, he will be charged with a ball. If a batter pauses too long before entering the box, he will be charged with a strike.
- Number two; The elimination of extreme defensive shifts to encourage more offense. This one was way overdue! The radical defense shifts in the past few years because the millions of stats recorded on each player were bogus. Without this shift, players will be "engaged" - their athletic ability will be fully displayed! Watching a third baseman shift to a position between second and first base was ridiculous. They left a gaping hole at the 5.5 positions that hitters could not find! Last season watching Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers get base hits through that hole was hilarious. At the same time, most batters grounded out into the shift. Were they blind, stubborn, or just victims of poor bat control? With the defense perfectly positioned, players just stood there, raised their gloves, caught the ball, and threw out the batter - simple. How boring was that! You gotta love this quote: "My biggest complaint about the shift is, how do you explain it to kids?" Phillies reliever David Robertson said. "What's the point of having a shortstop if he can't play shortstop?"
- Number three; Bigger bases to increase the number of stolen bases. The size of the bases has been increased from 15 to 18 inches. Common . . . it's speed, desire, and cunning that defines a stolen base leader. Rickey Henderson holds the MLB career stolen base record with 1,406. He's the only MLB player to have reached this 1,000 stolen bases milestone. Let's ask Rickey about the size of the new bases.
- Finally, Limit the number of mound "disengagements" as pickoff throws. Pickoff throws, huh some pitchers approach pickoffs like an elephant crossing a road, slow and deliberately. Pitch the ball, for heaven's sake, don't just stand there!
- Yes, I'm sure it will take some getting used to, and there will be a lot of critics. On Friday, San Diego Padres star Manny Machado became the first MLB player to begin an at-bat down 0–1 in the count for stepping into the batter's box "too late."
According to ESPN, the big picture: Fans who love baseball but can't justify spending three-plus hours watching it, these could be welcome changes. Oh, that same Padres–Mariners game on Friday took just 2:29 minutes to complete—about 40 minutes shorter than last year's regular-season average.
It's a new season with 162 games to play – let's see how all this shakes out.
I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening; see you in the next episode.
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