The meta point here is that this is basically all games and sports. We’ve reached a historical inflection point where data proliferation has really swung the balance. I think it’s going to be most challenging for people who don’t realize this and wonder why we can’t just go back to the old ways. Doing so would require radical rule changes that those same people are usually also against.
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I’d rather they just try preventing the batter from stepping out and redoing their gloves all time. Get in the box and be ready.
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Meh you got to adjust. It’s a spectator sport. If it wants to survive it has to appeal to and attract new fans.
However pitching gets speeded up, ban the shift, bigger bases. Whatever bring it on.
I’d also say you get 3 free fouls with two strikes. 4th one you are out.
I wonder if robo umps will encourage more pitch taking on marginal pitches with two strikes.
Oh and immediate and public DFA with contract forfeiture for sliding into first.
That’s what the pitch clock will do. An average of 29 min/game in the first half of the minors schedule this season.
I’m not sure if any rules changes to baseball can solve for this. Baseball lags behind football and basketball and is close to soccer in popularity among people under 30. The clear trend is toward more exciting sports. Baseball being boring isn’t new, it was also boring in the “good old day”.
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If should do the opposite. Umps definitely squeeze the zone on 0-2 and widen it on 3-0. So if anything, you’ll either see more strikeouts and walks, or hitters will have to adjust.
Sure, if you find baseball fundamentally boring, changes won’t fix that. But game time has crept up nearly an hour over the last 40-50 years. That is a problem. Other sports don’t deal with this as much due to game clocks.
I was always a huge fan growing up, but now only go to day/afternoon games, cause if it’s a 7:05 start, I’m not getting home till close to eleven. If that was ten, it wouldn’t be as big an issue.
I think this is all fair, I am just saying that baseball needs to be clear headed and reasonable on what it would be trying to achieve with any rules changes. It is very unlikely they will find a magic combo of baseball rules changes that will turn a bunch of 20-something football fans into baseball fans. If they make changes to stop the loss of fans and improve the experience of die hard fans then that’s great, of course.
Went to a AAA game and enjoyed the 2:45 game time in a game with 9 runs scored. Ideal would be 2:30 imo, still plenty of time to shave.
Worst offender to me is between innings, but I get that ad $ is king. I just see no earthly reason why these guys need to practice fielding ground balls lazily thrown around by the first baseman every inning, nor do I think the pitcher needs 47 warm up tosses, especially when a pitcher’s arm apparently falls off after they throw 100 times.
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I’ve gone to a few MLB games this year and I believe there’s a time clock with a pretty short limit between innings, maybe 90 sec? But yeah that is 30 minutes of game time right there, pitchers defintely need some kind of warmup though you can’t outright eliminate it.
Agree that the time between innings is a huge issue that baseball is pretending doesn’t exist. The amount of time you have changes with the type of broadcast but it’s at least 2:05 for local. The KBO requires batters in the box in under 2 minutes or the player is fined some ridiculous amount.
Edit: and now with the DH, pitchers are almost always the first ones out of the dugout. There’s no way they need the full time to the throw the 8 pitches they’re allowed (or whatever the number is)
I was a fan of the 7 inning games. Starters go 5 and 2 relievers.
Create the designated fielder, a defensive player that doesn’t bat. 8 man lineup, or do away with the DH and go 7 man lineup.
The rule changes are expected to pass and include the following:
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A 15-second pitch clock with the bases empty and a 20-second clock with runners on
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Two disengagements from the rubber – including pickoff attempts – per plate appearance
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A requirement by hitters to be in the batter’s box and “alert” with eight seconds to go on the clock. Hitters are allowed one timeout per plate appearance
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Only two infielders will be allowed on each side of second base, with all four required to be on the dirt (or inner grass)
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Infielders cannot position themselves on the outfield grass before the pitch is thrown
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Bases will increase in size from 15 inches squared to 18
How would this work in practice?
Pickoff attempt 1 - Runner gets back safe
Pickoff attempt 2 - Runner gets back safe
Now the runner can just lead off the base 40+ feet and the pitcher can’t do anything about it?
The piece in The Athletic has more details:
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Pitchers can step off the mound for a pickoff or any other reasons — a “disengagement” it’s called — twice per plate appearance if there is a runner on base. But, if a runner advances during the same plate appearance, i.e., by stealing a base, the pitcher gets another two step-offs. Stepping off resets the clock to its full time (20 or 15 seconds depending on whether a runner is on).
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If a pitcher steps off a third time or more, the penalty depends on what happens. If the runners are safe, the pitchers are charged with a balk. If an out is recorded, like on a successful pickoff, no balk is charged. No balk is charged if a runner advances, either.
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If the defense requests time, a disengagement is assessed to the pitcher, with several exceptions, including mound meetings, an object on the field, injuries, or an appeal. Catchers giving signals to infielders doesn’t count as a disengagement as long as the catcher is back by nine seconds.
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Pitcher requests for a new baseball with nine seconds or more remaining on the pitch timer do not count as a disengagement, but do if there are less than nine seconds.
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two disengagements per batter? so after two, the runner can just take a lead halfway to second? that makes no sense.
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Better not disengage the second time!
surprised people want fewer HR’s, HR’s are way down this season, they did deaden the ball a bit
I’m all for it. More scoring doesn’t = better. Game has balance now.
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No, because then the pitcher is allowed to pick him off. They only get penalized for the third disengagement if the runner makes it safely back to the base.
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