Let baseball be baseball. The new speedup rules lead to injuries, stress, and loss of that certain je ne sais quoi that makes baseball a unique sport. —John Maybury
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Agree: Let baseball be baseball.
Posted by: Jay Bird | October 06, 2023 at 06:59 PM
I liked the extra strategy when pitchers were hitting--as well as the extra advantage with pitchers who could hit well. Over the years it has been fun watching the Giants use a well-rounded pitcher as a pinch hitter or pinch runner on occasion when they were the best option in a particular game situation.
Good hitters could make mincemeat out of the shift, especially lead-off hitters, hitters leading off an inning, and good bunters. Want to get rid of the shift? Hit the ball "where they ain't." The infielders will redistribute in the future accordingly. The problem was with so many hitters swinging as hard as they could every at-bat and continuing to pull the ball into the shift, a testament to their weak bat control abilities. Teams that score a lot get runners on base and running the bases and don't depend entirely on solo home run hitters. Or, for a somewhat extreme example, think walk or bunt single, steal second, steal third, and come home on a sacrifice fly. That run, based on speed more than big muscles, counts just as much and is way more fun to watch because it has more exciting moments. Batters who can hit to all fields also require outfielders to play more straight away, opening up the gaps and producing more doubles.
Baseball, with all its inherent odds and uncertainties, is great entertainment. After the trouble and expense of going to a game, does anyone who likes the game really care if the game is 20 minutes longer than a game in which less happens?
Posted by: Carl May | October 06, 2023 at 04:37 PM
I like the pitch clock and the speed of the game. Most people in the game like the clock as well, Kruk and Kuip among them. The ghost runner NEEDS TO GO!! Sadly, the DH is here to stay, I think. I agree: Get rid of the limited throws to first as well. Do not bring back the shift. That is all.
Posted by: Butch Larroche | October 06, 2023 at 03:01 PM
Could not agree more, John. It's not just the new pitch clock. Get rid of the "man on second" in extra innings. Get rid of the limited number of throws to first. Get rid of the DH, at least in the NL. Get rid of the rule against the shift. Etc. The game-wrecking rules changes have been going on for years, but this year they became far too much. Things have been changed for casual fans with short little attention spans who are there to see home runs and don't like to think along with the game as it is going on.
Rather than being used as a tool to help make decisions, metrics have come to dominate line-ups and on-the-field decisions. It's all a race to see which team can become the ultimate in mediocrity, at which time the others will do what remaining things they need to do to copy it. My morning oatmeal is more fun.
Posted by: Carl May | October 06, 2023 at 12:37 PM