By Jordan Long
Major League Baseball is coming. Spring Training games are scheduled to start on February 27th assuming baseball doesn’t get delayed. The MLB and MLB Players Association agreed to new rules. These include 7 inning doubleheaders, a runner on second for to start extra inning games, and the absence of a designated hitter in the National League meaning the pitchers will have to hit.
The 7 inning doubleheaders make sense. In the past, there were day/night doubleheaders for 9 innings. Sometimes the first game went into extra innings which means games lasted too long. It could take something out of the 2nd game. The fact they will play 7 innings for doubleheaders may lessen the time for ball games when two are scheduled. This will also reduce the amount of time ballplayers are at the park. This rule should have been implemented years ago. At least it is better now than never.
The runner on second to start extra innings for both teams is something they tried last year. It worked. It seemed to slash the long games that could last until the 16th or 17th inning. This is one rule that MLB hopes will end games in the 10th or 11th innings. All the teams have to do is move a runner from 2nd to 3rd by a bunt or even a base hit will score the go ahead or winning run. Games will be decided early in extra innings because of this. It worked last year.
The rule that makes little logic is not having a universal DH. The point of the designated hitter was to add more scoring. In the National League, many pitchers just bunt to move the base runner and it is an easy out. They don’t ever try to run knowing they are not going to be on. The DH allowed for the teams to include a player whose job is only to smack the baseball. Those could be extra base hits or home runs. MLB got this one wrong. The DH is much more exciting.
These are a few of the rule changes for this upcoming baseball season. The hope is they can get through a full 162 game season without hitting the pause button. Only time will tell.
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