Major League Baseball introduces new rules to speed up their games

[Suzanimal]

Major League Baseball today announced a series of new rules, effective immediately, that aims to quicken the pace of the national pastime.

In a press release distributed on Friday, recently-instated MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark and John Schuerholz, chairman of MLB’s Pace of Game and Instant Replay Committee, outlined several new rules that will alter the timing of each game, including the additional use of a physical timer to previously untimed sport.

Some of the pacing changes include:

All batters must keep one foot in the batter’s box at any given time, unless one of a set of pre-specified exceptions occurs.

Time limits will be enforced during “non-game action” and game breaks to keep the ballgame on a consistent pace. For example, batters will have a certain amount of time to make it to the plate for their at-bat, pitchers will have a certain amount of time to throw warm-up pitches and there will be a finite time for innings and pitching changes to take effect.

Pitchers will be required to deliver their pitch soon after a batter enters the batter’s box and “becomes alert to the pitcher.”

Physical timers will be added to each ballpark’s scoreboard, as well as behind home plate, to enforce the specified time limits.

Failure to comply with these rules will prompt fines from the MLB.

In addition to rules associated with attempting to speed up the game, the release also announced new changes to the league’s young instant replay policy. One of the major changes involve team managers being able to call for a replay from their own dugout, instead of needing to walk out to an umpire — which was frequently used as a stalling tactic throughout the 2014 season.

Some of the replay changes include:

Managers may signal a challenge from the top step of the dugout instead of approaching an umpire on the field.

Whether runners left a base early or tagged a base properly on a tag-up play are now able to be challenged.

Violations of the home plate collision rule now require a manager’s challenge to be reviewed. Last season, such a review did not count towards a team’s instant replay count.

For every successful challenge, a manager will retain that challenge.

Managers will have two challenges per game, instead of the usual one, for postseason games, tiebreakers and the All-Star Game
.
The Pace of Game Committee was convened in September to address a concern of baseball executives about the length and pace of ballgames, which during the 2014 season were averaging more than three hours per game for the first time in the sport’s history.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/mlb-introduces-new-rules-speed-baseball/

 

[Zippyjuan]

They have tried ways to "speed up" the game before.

 

[Natural Citizen]

It's not much different than youth baseball this way. Of course, there are no instant replays or fines.

 

[TheTexan]

Have they tried reducing the amount of innings

 

[TheTexan]

Or pehaps change it to 'one strike and youre out'

 

[Crashland]

Most of the proposed rule changes sound good to me. I can foresee some problems though with umpires using discretion to enforce the "staying in the batters box" piece. Also curious about the timing for pitching, if that will change the dynamic when there are runners on base with pickoffs and holding them on.

The best rule change is the one where managers get unlimited challenges as long as their challenges keep turning out to be correct. It was never smart to allow additional bad calls to happen just because the manager already won both of their previous challenges.

 

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

Also curious about the timing for pitching, if that will change the dynamic when there are runners on base with pickoffs and holding them on.

The so-called 12 second rule does not apply with runners on base.

Or pehaps change it to 'one strike and youre out'

I suggest just putting the ball on a tee.

 

[TheTexan]

I suggest just putting the ball on a tee.

Ya but that would just serve to make the game even more boring. Noone would watch that.

 

[JK/SEA]

pitchers can only throw fastballs.

shit can the replays

no going to the mound to talk about what restaurants you're going to after the game

if a flyball stays in the air more than 3 seconds, its an out.

shit can the 'take me out to the ballgame' 7th inning crap.

skip the anthym and flag BS.

skip the running the bases after a homerun.

relief pitchers should be in the dug out and ready to go at all times.... Warm ups should be ended.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Major League Baseball introduces new rules to speed up their games

Umm, they're not gonna show up?

 

[invisible]

I remember when the best part of the ballgame was watching Earl Weaver spend 15 minutes kicking dirt on the umpire's shoes.

 

[JK/SEA]

I remember when the best part of the ballgame was watching Earl Weaver spend 15 minutes kicking dirt on the umpire's shoes.

good catch...yeah, ban that BS too.

 

[Natural Citizen]

relief pitchers should be in the dug out and ready to go at all times.... Warm ups should be ended.

You have to have warmups. wtf, man? That's scwewy.

 

[Suzanimal]

Less expensive beer would make it go by faster...

 

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

I remember when the best part of the ballgame was watching Earl Weaver spend 15 minutes kicking dirt on the umpire's shoes.

Weaver was a genius. People want instant reply over Earl Weaver!!!!???? No way!!!!






Click on the Youtube closed captioned while listening to this classic Weaver:


Weaver: You're here for one god damn specific reason.

Umpire Haller: What's that's, Earl?

Weaver: To fuck us!

Haller: Aw, you're full of shit. Fuck you.

 

[Natural Citizen]

Weaver was a genius. People want instant reply over Earl Weaver!!!!???? No way!!!!

He was one of my all time favorites.

 

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

He was one of my all time favorites.

I forgot that you're an Orioles fan. I love that new park. Only been there once. Maybe 1997?

Gotta get back there. They must have some type of Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe attractions.

 

[Natural Citizen]

I forgot that you're an Orioles fan. I love that new park. Only been there once. Maybe 1997?

Gotta get back there. They must have some type of Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe attractions.

It's nice but Memorial was way better. At least I think so. I don't know what kind of attractions they have down there these days. If I go then I'm in and out just because i don't want to be in Baltimore longer than I have to be. I know they have the Babe Ruth library there at the stadium.

 

[invisible]

I forgot that you're an Orioles fan. I love that new park. Only been there once. Maybe 1997?

Gotta get back there. They must have some type of Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe attractions.

Earl Weaver kicked ass. THAT was baseball! It wasn't a good ballgame unless Earl Weaver did something to get himself ejected.

I remember Memorial Stadium. The new ballpark was ok, but just didn't have that same soul. Too much of a glossy sheen. 1997 was a fun year, and a great team too. Used to live within walking distance, and had an awesome time in the $3 bleacher seats or the $5-6 upper deck spots. I cleaned out my wallet a couple years ago, and found a 1996 schedule.

 

[invisible]

It's nice but Memorial was way better. At least I think so. I don't know what kind of attractions they have down there these days. If I go then I'm in and out just because i don't want to be in Baltimore longer than I have to be. I know they have the Babe Ruth library there at the stadium.

I always liked Memorial Stadium a lot more as well. So much history, so much soul. A presence, a vibe.