Fast Ball: MLB’s New Rules Speed Up Games, Shift Manager Tactics
The entire first inning of a Cactus League game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants last week took seven minutes. It’s a product of the host of new rules adopted by Major League Baseball this year targeted at speeding up the pace of game.
“You’re always in a hurry,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said when given that statistic.
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MLB has been in hurry this spring implementing all these changes. The overall reaction from players and managers has been positive. Michael Hill, MLB’s vice president of on-field operations, called it “a success.”
“The early returns have been great,” Hill said. “From our perspective we are extremely excited about what the rules will do for our game.”
Primarily, hitters have 30 seconds to get into the box between batters. The 15-second pitch clock then starts, unless there’s a runner on base, then it’s 20 seconds. The clock between innings is a hard and fast 2 minutes, 15 seconds.
The game at Scottsdale Stadium—which included 13 runs, 21 hits, 13 strikeouts and five walks—lasted a very acceptable 2 hours, 31 minutes. Last year, a game with similar stats might have lasted more than three hours. Even a Los Angeles Dodgers-Los Angeles Angels game that featured 14 walks and an equal amount of pitching changes took 2:44.
A strikeout that once lasted five or more minutes as the hitter danced in and out of the box and the pitcher roamed the mound toying with the resin bag now takes about a fifth of that time.
Despite all that, Angels starter Tyler Anderson said he didn’t feel rushed in his first shot at working with the clock.
“I definitely felt like I was paying a lot of attention to it,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll get there in the next couple of games where it feels like second nature.”
The rule changes aren’t limited to the pitcher and the batter. The shift is gone. Infielders must now play two on each side and set up on the dirt; each infielder is designated at his position and cannot move to another at any point during the game. With the abolition of the shift a routine ground ball up the middle is once again a single to center. That’s been a little bit of baseball heaven.
Meanwhile, the three outfielders are still mobile and can be moved to the infield or elsewhere. During a Grapefruit League game last week in Florida, Boston Red Sox centerfielder Adam Duvall shifted to short right as a defensive maneuver against Minnesota’s lefty pull hitter Joey Gallo. Raimel Tapia moved to center, leaving left field open. It was all for naught as Gallo walked, but moves similar to that are typical as teams adjust to the new rules.
“I like it,” new Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “I like the elimination of the shifts, the pace of the games. It keeps action moving. The fans are going to like it. I think it’s all going to work out well.”
There has been a renewal of the running game, with frequent stolen bases, and a new rule restricting the pitcher to two throws over to first base per batter, including stepping off the rubber without a throw, obviously has something to do with it. This is now called a “disengagement (from the rubber),” and on a third one the pitcher is charged with a balk, moving runners up a base.
Thus far, teams have averaged nearly 1.08 stolen base attempts per game, a 40% increase over last year’s 0.77 attempts per game.
“It’s spring training and maybe you’re more aggressive,” Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “But at the end of the day, I think it’s going to impact the running game and the aggressiveness that hasn’t been there. The data showed that in the minor leagues.”
Those infield bases are bigger by three inches all the way around. Is that also a factor?
“No, the bases don’t make any difference,” Kotsay added.
Pitchers are already trying to game the system.
In Florida, New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer theorized that under the new rules, pitchers can dictate the pace of game. He tested that by quick-pitching Washington Nationals batter Victor Robles as soon as the 15-second clock was reset.
But Robles wasn’t ready and Scherzer was called for a balk.
MLB has a whole team of officials in every ballpark monitoring the various clocks and relaying information to the umpires. They’ve been all told by MLB to strictly enforce these rules.
“It’s good that we’re implementing this all now,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think they’re trying to deal with quick pitches some guys are trying to throw around the league. So, we’re still trying to clean it up. But as far as our guys go, it’s an adjustment.”
To be sure, there have been numerous complaints from managers and players about some of the nuances. For example, the batter gets one chance to step out of the box per at bat, but the pitcher isn’t allowed his own form of time out unless a runner is on base.
“To me it’s been OK so far, but we’re not adding statistics or wins and losses yet that actually count,” D-backs veteran third baseman Evan Longoria said. “Maybe there will be enough confusion that it will change. If not, it will be something players have to adjust to. Hopefully everything will be open to re-analysis.”
This has all been collectively bargained and subject to decisions last year made by a new committee that was weighted toward the owners, but included members of the players’ union. As a result, don’t expect any changes now.
Hill has been making the rounds of camps in Arizona and Florida meeting with each team, fielding those complaints and explaining particulars of the rule changes.
Another rule: A reliever must sprint in from the bullpen and has 2 minutes, 15 seconds, to get to the mound and complete warmups. If he exceeds that limit, he’s charged with a ball. If the lead-off hitter isn’t set with eight seconds left on the clock, a strike is called.
The latter received a lot of attention during the first weekend of exhibition play. Again, it was the Red Sox, this time against the Atlanta Braves. The score was tied, 6-6, with the bases loaded, a full count and two out in the bottom of the ninth. Braves hitter Cal Conley didn’t set up in the box on time and was penalized with a strike that ended the game in a tie, since extra innings were not played.
These are matters that individual teams are trying to hash out.
“It can be a little stressful,” Lovullo said. “A perfect example, [Austin] Brice came into a game and took too much time. Before he throws his first pitch, he’s 1-0. Project forward to the middle of a July game in San Francisco. There are runners on first and second and the relief pitcher doesn’t get the job done and he starts on a 1-0 count. That’s going to be unacceptable to me.”
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