Major League Baseball has some ideas on how to speed up the game and they plan to try them out during the Arizona Fall League. The following rules will be in place when teams take the field for the AFL Opener on Tuesday:
– Intentional walks can now just be called for by the manager with no pitches necessary.
– Shorter breaks between innings, with the batters getting into the batter’s box within 1:45 of the previous inning ending and the pitcher must throw the ball before the 2:05 mark. The batter can be assessed a strike, while the pitcher will be charged with a ball for a violation.
– Going off the last rule, once the inning starts, the batter must remain in the batter’s box(under normal circumstances) and the pitcher must throw the ball within 20 seconds of receiving it. The latter rule will only be enforced during games played at Salt River, where they will also use the replay system.
– Visits to the mound from coaches, managers and other players will be limited to three per game/team. There is no on-field penalty for violating this rule, though MLB said the violators could be disciplined. It doesn’t include pitching changes during innings.
– The last rule is one that will encourage pitchers to hustle from the bullpen during pitching changes. Once they enter the playing field, they have 2:30 before they must throw the first pitch or a ball will be called.
The rules as a group should speed up play, though on their own they won’t make much of a difference in most cases. Some pitchers are very slow to the plate, so if you get the right starting pitcher, it could really affect the time of game. The batters staying in the box rule is another that will help more for certain players. It’s for normal circumstances only, so a ball or called strike applies, while a foul ball or wild pitch(for example) won’t be a violation.
The visits to the mound is one I don’t agree with to a point because the same rule applies all game, even into extra innings. It will keep a catcher from constant visits, but there are some situations that a player is used to visiting the mound quickly as a reminder, which will need to be eliminated, such as changing the signals with a runner on second. Those visits usually take 10-15 seconds tops and are done while a batter is getting in the box. Some situations are just too big not to discuss what is going on, but the coach/catcher will need to make that call during the game and try to count/remember their visits during a game. It’s possible that the discipline for a violation will be so small that teams will be willing to break it for key spots.
Some people probably won’t like the “no pitch” intentional walk because it eliminates the possibility of a wild pitch, stolen base, balk or anything like that, which could have an effect on the outcome. There aren’t that many intentional walks in baseball that this rule will noticeably slow down games either. There were 985 intentional walks issued this year, approximately one every five games and they usually go fairly quick, much quicker than four normal pitches, so I don’t see a big need for it.