Union agrees to pitchless intentional walks in MLB

[cephasjames]

Union agrees to pitchless intentional walks in MLB

Ultimately what is this going to accomplish? Save 2-3 minutes a game?

[slic1149]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

Union agrees to pitchless intentional walks in MLB

Ultimately what is this going to accomplish? Save 2-3 minutes a game?

I read (no source) that it took 16 to 18 seconds to issue an intentional walk. That seems a little fast to me. It is however four throws, and four chances for an exciting and game changing mistake to occur. This is attempting to fix a problem that doesn't exist. At the expense of actually "playing" the game.

The only way to appreciably, and consistently, reduce total game time is to put pitchers on the clock. Arguing how quickly a pitcher has to pitch is a great topic for debate. OTOH, allowing a pitcher to deliberately and constantly slow down the game for no reason, seems like a non starter if the MLB is serious about solving the three hour game conundrum.

[MBarrett]

Originally Posted by slic1149

The only way to appreciably, and consistently, reduce total game time is to put pitchers on the clock.

Please god no. This isn't basketball.

[slic1149]

Originally Posted by MBarrett

Please god no. This isn't basketball.

Baseball Prospectus | Overthinking It: The 12-Second Rule and the Boring-ization of Baseball

This is an article about pitching times that you might find interesting.

[RchW]

The issue is catcher and infielders having mound visits 2-3 times per batter. A sub set occurs with pitching changes. New pitcher completes warmup opposing manager uses a PH catcher calls time before first pitch is thrown.

For all circumstances the rule should be; no more than one IF/catcher mound visit per batter and none before a pitch is thrown to the scheduled batter. If the catcher or IF insists, the additional mound visit is charged as a manager visit for which normal rules apply.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by RchW

For all circumstances the rule should be; no more than one IF/catcher mound visit per batter and none before a pitch is thrown to the scheduled batter. If the catcher or IF insists, the additional mound visit is charged as a manager visit for which normal rules apply.

That, coupled with one time out per batter per at bat. A second one costs you a strike along with Bill James' idea of two unsuccessful pickoff attempts to a runner/base. Third and following cost you a ball.


Those three things have to shave 10-12 minutes a game I'd imagine. The mound meetings and time outs in the batter's box aren't tinkering with the game - just stopping the spread of bad habbits. James addressed the pick off thing by saying that baseball opted to limit the number of non-strikes a pitcher could throw per batter way back in the mists of time essentially saying that you can screw around a little but eventually, you have to actually do something with the ball - we're selling tickets here. If they did that with the place most of the action is (home plate) they surely would have done the same with pickoff moves if they could have ever imagined a day when some pitcher would make seven consecutive pick off attempts.

[Airdrop01]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

That, coupled with one time out per batter per at bat. A second one costs you a strike along with Bill James' idea of two unsuccessful pickoff attempts to a runner/base. Third and following cost you a ball.


Those three things have to shave 10-12 minutes a game I'd imagine. The mound meetings and time outs in the batter's box aren't tinkering with the game - just stopping the spread of bad habbits. James addressed the pick off thing by saying that baseball opted to limit the number of non-strikes a pitcher could throw per batter way back in the mists of time essentially saying that you can screw around a little but eventually, you have to actually do something with the ball - we're selling tickets here. If they did that with the place most of the action is (home plate) they surely would have done the same with pickoff moves if they could have ever imagined a day when some pitcher would make seven consecutive pick off attempts.

About six years ago a guy threw over, no kidding, TEN times in a row on my kid at first in the bottom of the last inning of a 16U game where he was winning run with two out. I was coaching third and I was scared to death he was gonna get nailed before he could run. To this day, still one of the coolest things my boy talked about. "He never did get me. I had the perfect lead and we won."

That said, I don't think saving ten minutes is worth jacking with the rules. If you figure out a way to cut the between inning times so you can cut 30 minutes off, now we're talking. But that's not going to happen, because TV needs commercials. The rest of this is just window dressing so a bunch of muckety mucks can say they're doing something.

[Jeffy25]

As a passionate and die hard baseball fan, the pace of the game doesn't bother me.

I understand that as a fan, when you are at the game you don't notice the pace, but from home you do.



I dunno, this isn't an issue to me to even worry about.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

About six years ago a guy threw over, no kidding, TEN times in a row on my kid at first in the bottom of the last inning of a 16U game where he was winning run with two out. I was coaching third and I was scared to death he was gonna get nailed before he could run. To this day, still one of the coolest things my boy talked about. "He never did get me. I had the perfect lead and we won."

That said, I don't think saving ten minutes is worth jacking with the rules. If you figure out a way to cut the between inning times so you can cut 30 minutes off, now we're talking. But that's not going to happen, because TV needs commercials. The rest of this is just window dressing so a bunch of muckety mucks can say they're doing something.

I hear you, but it also cuts out largely unintended boring parts of the game. I've played and watched baseball my whole life and while I know that your experience was exciting to you, I have never watched or been part of a 7 + pick off attempt sequence or 3/4 IF-C mound visit 5/6 step out and call time at bat that I have enjoyed or can look back on with favor.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Jeffy25

As a passionate and die hard baseball fan, the pace of the game doesn't bother me.

I understand that as a fan, when you are at the game you don't notice the pace, but from home you do.



I dunno, this isn't an issue to me to even worry about.

The pace never has bothered me either but tickets need to be sold to other sorts of people. If they can make it more appealing by shaving time in curbing what essentially are modern bad habbits, I am all for it. The intentional walk change, pitcher clock and the silly extra inning ideas do not fit the bill for me.

[MorseMoose]

Good decision regardless of how many seconds it saves each year.

[Yick]

Who was it who hit the home run off of an intentional ball that missed not too long ago? I feel like it was one of the Yankees young guys, maybe Sanchez or Bird last year or the year before.

[RchW]

The classic reason int walks should remain a strategic option is Johnny Bench in the 1972 WS. It's about 2:20 into the clip.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...wAdiWu_9pX0jww

[Orcin]

Good rule change here. There was nothing interesting about watching four wide ones.

[Le Grande Orange]

According to Retrosheet, there were 932 IBBs in the 2016 regular season. That works out to an average of 0.38 per game played, or roughly two every five games.

[rudel.dietrich]

I am going to try and get back into baseball this season. Last season was the first in 15 years I did not watch a single game.
With the time difference, a job and kids investing 3.5 hours into a game is just too much.
This year I am going to try and watch games or at least the condensed games. I miss baseball but the length of games and the boring interludes of which there are dozens drove me away along with not being able to follow closely enough to even name more than 20 active players.


With the Braves new stadium I am going to try and keep up this season and focus on a single team.
We will see how long it lasts.

[thorpegiovanni]

Quite a useless change. Save a minute every game, lose the ability to see a wild pitch on four wide ones.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thorpegiovanni

Quite a useless change. Save a minute every game, lose the ability to see a wild pitch on four wide ones.

That's the thing; it's not going to save even that much time on average. Managers and pitchers will like this change, though, because it saves them from catastrophes.

Joe Girardi was talking about another, more interesting way to save time that would not affect gameplay: Wireless communication with the batter via a helmet speaker. This would save significant time not having to transmit signals via baseline coaches. Think about how much time a batter spends stepping out of the box and looking for signs.

[swoboda]

Agreement with many others here, this change will not address length of games. The issue is NOT the pace of play, the issue is the pace of non-play.
Longer stretches between innings for more TV money, too many batters stepping out of the box, too many pitchers stepping off the mound, too many warm-up pitches on the mound, and too many relievers throwing to only one batter. If and only if revenues decline will we see these things addressed.
I attend 10-15 games every year, and even for me it's a problem in person, not just on TV.

[TGH-Adfabre]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

That's the thing; it's not going to save even that much time on average. Managers and pitchers will like this change, though, because it saves them from catastrophes.

Joe Girardi was talking about another, more interesting way to save time that would not affect gameplay: Wireless communication with the batter via a helmet speaker. This would save significant time not having to transmit signals via baseline coaches. Think about how much time a batter spends stepping out of the box and looking for signs.

No time spent if they enforced the rule on the book.