Last Monday we learned that Major League Baseball would be putting together a committee to discuss ideas on how to address the slower pace of play that has slowed games down to an average of over 3 hours per game. On Wednesday we learned a bit of what the committee came up with, and they plan to test their ideas this fall in the Arizona Fall League. Among the rule changes include the following:
- Batters will have to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box at all times throughout their at-bat.
- No-pitch intentional walks.
- A 3 time-out limit per game, which is essentially a limit of the number of conferences that go on at the mound. They should probably just name this the Jorge Posada Rule.
Also included are time limits in between pitches thrown as well as in between innings, which in a way are just reinforcements and tweaks of rules already in place. Regardless, I’m intrigued by what MLB is doing. They have recognized that pace of play is a problem for many people and they’re doing something about it. Smarter still is implementing these ideas during the AFL where they can see what works and what doesn’t and then make changes on the fly should the need arise. This is a far cry from their implementation of instant replay at the start of this season, which could have used further testing instead of rolling it out when the games actually counted.
I did not see my idea mentioned for a free beer for everyone in the stands if a manager replaces a relief pitcher after only 1 hitter, but still a good start by MLB and I applaud their efforts.
