Stamford, CT: We’re in for an exciting two weeks of baseball, with the Yanks trying to lock down the top spot in the AL and AL East, while the Mets try to hang on to the last NL Wild Card spot. The Mets will have to find a way to win a few games without the services of Francisco Lindor, their MVP candidate, as they did on Monday. Lindor tweaked his back and was not in the lineup. The Mets have two more against the lowly Nationals, but it gets tougher with matchups against the Phillies, Braves, and Brewers. Obviously, the series against the Braves, who lost to the Dodgers last night, could be pivotal. The Yanks are out West looking to widen their lead ahead of a three-game series against the trailing Orioles next week. With baseball coming down the home stretch, I thought it might be a good time to look at MLB’s recent rule changes to see how they’re working out. Let’s have a look.
Pitch Clock
I don’t think many people have a problem with this one. The change lopped off about 20 minutes of unnecessary downtime in the average game. I’m not sure it’ll bring back the under 60 demographic MLB desperately covets, but it can’t hurt. The only possible downside is a pitch clock violation resulting in a strike out at a key point in a playoff game. That would be unfortunate. Hopefully the umps are told to cut players a little slack in the playoffs.
But otherwise, it has been great. Everyone likes it but Mets’ fans, because they don’t have as much time to get completely hammered at Citi, while attempting to forget their miserable lives. I kid.
Verdict: Home Run
Bigger Bases
No complaints here. As my wife will tell ya, three inches can go a long way. The extra inches added to the bases has resulted in a whopping .4 more stolen bases per game! It seems like more than that, but it’s definitilely a move away from the “stay put and wait for the 3-run homer” strategy that has become all too common. And who would complain about more stolen bases? Maybe catchers and Billy Beane, but F them.
Verdict: Double
Three Batter Reliever Minimum
Another winner here. Or do you miss watching all those slow walks to the mound and pitchers warming up? The specialists of the Tony Larussa Era be gone! Relievers had better know how to get righties and lefties out now. The only downside is listening to Aaron Boone talk about reliever “lanes” even more. Puke.
Verdict: Triple
Limit on Mound Visits
I’m not sure this one moves the needle much. This rarely seems to come into play and doesn’t seem to shorten games.
Verdict: ground out
Eliminating the Shift
A bit surprisingly, getting rid of the shift has not led to more hits and runs. The rule doesn’t prevent teams from playing a middle infielder behind second base where he can still swallow up a lot of would-be hits. They might as well let teams shift.
Verdict: Double play grounder
Extra Inning Ghost Runner
I thought I would hate this one because it’s so impure to the spirit of baseball. You’re just going to throw a guy on second for no damn reason?
But honestly, it has grown on me. Who wants to stay up to two in the morning watching both teams empty their pens before someone finally pushes a run across?
And not only does it prevent extra-inning games from going on too long, it also adds a strategy element. If you’re on the road, do you play for one run to put the pressure on, knowing the other team will start with a runner in scoring position and the winning run at the plate? Or do you play for the big inning?
I’m glad they’re not doing it in the playoffs though.
Verdict: Single
No More DH
Admit it NL purists, you don’t miss watching pitchers “hit.” In a perfect world pitchers would also hit. But the vast majority can’t, so why force them out of principle? “Because that’s how we’ve always done it” is a crappy reason to keep doing something that isn’t working. Pitchers should be able to hit better, but they can’t. That’s the way it is. Play the cards you got, not the ones you wish you had.
Isn’t it better to watch a semi-capable hitter like JD Martinez try to drive one instead of a pitcher dropping down a sacrifice bunt when there is already one out?
You might not be ready to admit it, but you know I’m right.
Verdict: Grand Slam
All in all, I think the changes have been positive and have made the game better. Come back tomorrow for a guy who makes everything better, Angry Ward.
