New (2023) MLB rules explained

[Alphalion75]

Batter strikes out on only 2 strikes -- I just witnessed a batter striking out with the bases loaded and a tie score with only 2 strikes on him. The new pitch clock rule requires the batter to be in the battery's box within the last 8 seconds of the 20 second pitch clock. If he is not in the batters box at that time it's an automatic strike. Another dumb rule that is ruining what once was the greatest game on the planet.

 

[CVLion]

Batter strikes out on only 2 strikes -- I just witnessed a batter striking out with the bases loaded and a tie score with only 2 strikes on him. The new pitch clock rule requires the batter to be in the battery's box within the last 8 seconds of the 20 second pitch clock. If he is not in the batters box at that time it's an automatic strike. Another dumb rule that is ruining what once was the greatest game on the planet.

Well… 2 “old school” strikes + 1 “newfangled” one, I guess

 

[Woodpecker]

Batter strikes out on only 2 strikes -- I just witnessed a batter striking out with the bases loaded and a tie score with only 2 strikes on him. The new pitch clock rule requires the batter to be in the battery's box within the last 8 seconds of the 20 second pitch clock. If he is not in the batters box at that time it's an automatic strike. Another dumb rule that is ruining what once was the greatest game on the planet.

Did he know the rule? How hard is it to get in the f'in' box? Took me a couple seconds if I even bothered to step out. Prima donna

 

[Train027]

Batter strikes out on only 2 strikes -- I just witnessed a batter striking out with the bases loaded and a tie score with only 2 strikes on him. The new pitch clock rule requires the batter to be in the battery's box within the last 8 seconds of the 20 second pitch clock. If he is not in the batters box at that time it's an automatic strike. Another dumb rule that is ruining what once was the greatest game on the planet.

The clock is the one new rule I agree with. I believe people pay money to watch a game, not a batter or pitcher infinitely pondering the next pitch.
The rest of the rule changes are terrible.

 

[Bison13]

Batter strikes out on only 2 strikes -- I just witnessed a batter striking out with the bases loaded and a tie score with only 2 strikes on him. The new pitch clock rule requires the batter to be in the battery's box within the last 8 seconds of the 20 second pitch clock. If he is not in the batters box at that time it's an automatic strike. Another dumb rule that is ruining what once was the greatest game on the planet.

I am glad it happened. As a former pitcher, I know that more often than not you have guys like Nomar garciaparra who take 20 seconds rearranging their batting gloves that slow th game down compared to pitchers

 

[Alphalion75]

Did he know the rule? How hard is it to get in the f'in' box? Took me a couple seconds if I even bothered to step out. Prima donna

You missed the point I was making.

 

[Alphalion75]

The clock is the one new rule I agree with. I believe people pay money to watch a game, not a batter or pitcher infinitely pondering the next pitch.
The rest of the rule changes are terrible.

Baseball was never meant to be a fast paced game. People used to go to baseball games to relax, have a beer and hot dog during the long hot days of summer. It was meant to be passive.

 

[Alphalion75]

I am glad it happened. As a former pitcher, I know that more often than not you have guys like Nomar garciaparra who take 20 seconds rearranging their batting gloves that slow th game down compared to pitchers

For sure. Let's hurry up the game to coincide with our hurried lives. We don't need any relaxing down time.

 

[CoachET]

Relaxing and having some beers at a game is great. But does anyone really want to sit at a game or watch on TV and watch batters step out after every pitch to adjust their gloves, or pitchers step off and throw over 3 or 4 times an at bat or all of the other crazy ways they slow down the game. If you do, God Bless. But the amount of time wasting is ridiculous. Average game time last season was just under 3:04.

I found an article from 2014 where the problem with the length of a game was addressed. Here are some times in 10 year increments:

2014: 3:09 2004: 2:51 1994: 2:58 1984: 2:40 1974: 2:29 1964: 2:35 1954: 2:31 1950: 2:23

I can’t stand 3+ hour games and am encouraged by the amount of time shaved off last year in the minors. I look forward to returning to well paced games from my childhood.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

One the batter steps in the box, keep him in the box.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

Baseball was never meant to be a fast paced game. People used to go to baseball games to relax, have a beer and hot dog during the long hot days of summer. It was meant to be passive.

old timer, here. i agree with you. i used to love the sunday dh'ers back in the day. can't find them now unless there are rainouts. i feel cheated
today if i go to one game and see a 1-0 2 hr game. realize i'm in a minority, mostly because today's society has such a short attention span. everything you see or do has to be over yesterday.

 

[PSUJam]

I watched some this weekend and was surprised at the number of violations by batters not being ready in the box with 8 seconds on the clock. This results in a called strike. In fact, on Saturday the Braves were tied 6-6 with the Red Sox in the bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, 2 outs with a 3-2 count and the batter was called for a clock violation and it ended the game. There's no extras in ST.

 

[Woodpecker]

Baseball was never meant to be a fast paced game. People used to go to baseball games to relax, have a beer and hot dog during the long hot days of summer. It was meant to be passive.

I can't speak to what baseball was "meant to be" (by whom?) but I guess we just have a difference in personal preference. I was never a fan of Mike Hargrove's batting style but I assume that you loved it because it gave you more time to relax. I'm more in tune with the tweet in the other thread that said that the new clock doesn't give you less baseball, it gives you less not baseball.

 

[LionJim]

I can't speak to what baseball was "meant to be" (by whom?) but I guess we just have a difference in personal preference. I was never a fan of Mike Hargrove's batting style but I assume that you loved it because it gave you more time to relax. I'm more in tune with the tweet in the other thread that said that the new clock doesn't give you less baseball, it gives you less not baseball.

Mike Hargrove, “The Human Rain Delay.”

 

[Ceasar]

Just to clarify a few points. The hitter who was called out was in the box the entire time. He was tapping his bat on home plate and was not looking at the P at the 8 second mark and that was deemed a rules violation. IMHO once the season begins umps will use more discretion. For example, it has been said that if a hitter gets some dirt in his eye, for example, the ump will not enforce the rule.
I like the pitch clock rule because pitchers and teams have needlessly prolonged games. Those who view this rule as "new" are incorrect IMHO. There has always been a time limit within which a P must deliver. It was just not enforced. Of course this rule is new in the sense that now there is a clock and the hitter also must be ready to hit. And this is the part of the rule that I don't understand. Why mandate that the hitter is in the box and "alert to the pitcher" at the 8 second mark? I think it would be easier to simply have the umpire signal the ball in play (or never signal it out of play after the previous pitch) and if the hitter is ready to hit, fine, if he is not, that's his problem. I don't understand the logic behind penalizing the hitter when there should be nothing preventing the P from delivering the pitch regardless of whether the batter is ready.
But again, IMHO, once the season begins umpires will use discretion and will only penalize the hitter if he is involved in some sort of gamesmanship. Finally, if you look at the replay of the Atlanta player who was called out, he was really oblivious to the rule as was not even remotely ready to hit. It's as if he was unaware of the rule.

 

[Bvillebaron]

You missed the point I was making.

That's not all he's missing. The batter involved thought he had more time to get in the box because the catcher was standing up. He was wrong because the rule says the batter has 8 seconds to get in the box regardless of where the catcher is positioned. These are new rules and learning them is what spring training is about.

 

[Waaaaaaaany]

The dumbest rule is that hitters even get to step out of the box in the first place. Once you initially enter the box you should have to stay put and constantly be ready for a pitch. the pitcher having to wait for batters to finish playing with themselves is ridiculous.

 

[Ceasar]

Baseball was never meant to be a fast paced game. People used to go to baseball games to relax, have a beer and hot dog during the long hot days of summer. It was meant to be passive.

100% agree with you on this. While I am a fan of the pitch clock in theory (let's see how it actually is applied), I am generally against rules that are designed for the sole purpose of speeding up a game. Baseball has a different pace than other sports and that is a large part of its beauty. Nothing stops fans from leaving early if they don't have enough time to stay for the entire game.
One of the reasons why games last longer than they did decades ago is the increased use of the bullpen. Whereas it used to be common to see a P throw a complete game, now you are more likely to see a team use 4, 5 even 6 pitchers in a game. That is going to prolong a game and I would be adamantly opposed to any rule that tried to limit pitching changes.

 

[Ceasar]

The dumbest rule is that hitters even get to step out of the box in the first place. Once you initially enter the box you should have to stay put and constantly be ready for a pitch. the pitcher having to wait for batters to finish playing with themselves is ridiculous.

While I agree with you, this is where umpires could control the game if they chose to. A batter never has the "right" to step out of the box or call time out. Only the ump can call time. Rarely, but once in a while, you would see an ump refuse to stop play when a hitter stepped out. But if they chose to, they could simply let the pitcher do his thing regardless of whether the hitter is in the box.

 

[WanderingSpectator]

I was at a game on Saturday. The game was still over 3 hours but there were 19 runs scored and I lost count of pitching changes.

I still believe that no matter what MLB does to speed the game, TV will stretch it out for ad revenue. It would be interesting to see the TV contracts.

 

[LionsAndBears]

Baseball was never meant to be a fast paced game. People used to go to baseball games to relax, have a beer and hot dog during the long hot days of summer. It was meant to be passive.

I agree. It's what I like about baseball.

 

[LionJim]

I watched some this weekend and was surprised at the number of violations by batters not being ready in the box with 8 seconds on the clock. This results in a called strike. In fact, on Saturday the Braves were tied 6-6 with the Red Sox in the bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, 2 outs with a 3-2 count and the batter was called for a clock violation and it ended the game. There's no extras in ST.

12.7% drop in game time. Wow.

 

[LionJim]

the pitcher having to wait for batters to finish playing with themselves is ridiculous.

Yeah, imagine if @BobPSU92 played MLB.

 

[PSUJam]

12.7% drop in game time. Wow.

It'll be interesting to see if that number moves up once the players adjust to the new shift/infielder rules as well as limited pick off attempts for the pitchers. I expect the number of steals to skyrocket this season, which means less double plays so longer innings.

 

[nittanyfan333]

Limit of 2 disengagements? I'm making him throw over twice and then taking an 89 foot lead if he's not allowed to throw over again.

so you CAN throw over a 3rd time, but if you don't pick of the runner it's a balk.

The disengagements is going to be the biggest gamechanger IMO. you're gonna see runners on first and third and the runner on first is gonna take a lot of chances to try to get that balk and score the run

 

[Ceasar]

so you CAN throw over a 3rd time, but if you don't pick of the runner it's a balk.

The disengagements is going to be the biggest gamechanger IMO. you're gonna see runners on first and third and the runner on first is gonna take a lot of chances to try to get that balk and score the run

Possibly, but I suspect it will be extremely rare to see a pitcher throw over a third time, regardless of the situation. In fact I would imagine that would only be called from the bench.

 

[LionJim]

In the end the players will figure it out. It’s still 9 innings, 162 games, then the playoffs. Best to just embrace whatever it is, or at least not let it bother you. The level of talent in MLB is very high, there’s a lot to like. Ban jewelry for the love of God, but other than that I’m chill.

I would like to know what Thomas Boswell, George Will, Bill James think about this.

 

[PSUJam]

In the end the players will figure it out. It’s still 9 innings, 162 games, then the playoffs. Best to just embrace whatever it is, or at least not let it bother you. The level of talent in MLB is very high, there’s a lot to like. Ban jewelry for the love of God, but other than that I’m chill.

I would like to know what Thomas Boswell, George Will, Bill James think about this.

Someone on TV made a good point this morning in that speeding up the pitcher actually may hinder sign stealing and cheating. In the couple of games I watched this weekend, one strategy some batters use is to take a time out before the first pitch to get set in the batters box.

 

[Alphalion75]

I can't speak to what baseball was "meant to be" (by whom?) but I guess we just have a difference in personal preference. I was never a fan of Mike Hargrove's batting style but I assume that you loved it because it gave you more time to relax. I'm more in tune with the tweet in the other thread that said that the new clock doesn't give you less baseball, it gives you less not baseball.

But that is the beauty of baseball. It does give you more than the game. For example, because of the appeal rule, arguments between managers and umpires have virtually disappeared. I loved watching the arguments. It was fun watching Earl Weaver or Sparky Anderson kicking dirt on home plate and getting into the umps face. The game is becoming vanilla.

 

[Corner Room Breakfast]

Couldn't stand George Foster and his batters box games, my own opinion i like the rule, because of abusers of the ( at bat) like him.

 

[Waaaaaaaany]

I was at a game on Saturday. The game was still over 3 hours but there were 19 runs scored and I lost count of pitching changes.

I still believe that no matter what MLB does to speed the game, TV will stretch it out for ad revenue. It would be interesting to see the TV contracts.

And then comes the owners complaining that there are now 25 less minutes of beer and concession sales with the shorter games

 

[rudedude]

Yet the “ghost runner” in extra inning games still exists. That is artificial and stupid.
I’d rather a tie like soccer. Counts as 1/2 a gane

 

[Moogy]

Batter strikes out on only 2 strikes -- I just witnessed a batter striking out with the bases loaded and a tie score with only 2 strikes on him. The new pitch clock rule requires the batter to be in the battery's box within the last 8 seconds of the 20 second pitch clock. If he is not in the batters box at that time it's an automatic strike. Another dumb rule that is ruining what once was the greatest game on the planet.

It's an awesome rule.

It's ridiculous how long pros take to do their in between pitch rituals. It makes the game much harder to watch, with constant lulls. Before you know it, you have a 3 hr 30 min regular season baseball game that doesn't end until after 10:30. The kids are asleep, or busy doing something else because they got bored with all the nonsense.

If kids can figure out how to get in the box, toe the rubber and get in there ready to play in a timely fashion, so can adults.

 

[Moogy]

For sure. Let's hurry up the game to coincide with our hurried lives. We don't need any relaxing down time.

If you're going to the park, it's a 4-5 hour adventure, even with the sped up game. If you're watching at home ... how much more relaxing down time do you need than 2.5 hours of passive watching? If you want to fill that extra 30-60 minutes of nothingness, you can go stare at the wall for that amount of time and get the same effect.

 

[Alphalion75]

If you're going to the park, it's a 4-5 hour adventure, even with the sped up game. If you're watching at home ... how much more relaxing down time do you need than 2.5 hours of passive watching? If you want to fill that extra 30-60 minutes of nothingness, you can go stare at the wall for that amount of time and get the same effect.

If you like the pitch clock fair enough. I don't. I'm sure we don't like the exact same foods too.

 

[Alphalion75]

Y

It's an awesome rule.

It's ridiculous how long pros take to do their in between pitch rituals. It makes the game much harder to watch, with constant lulls. Before you know it, you have a 3 hr 30 min regular season baseball game that doesn't end until after 10:30. The kids are asleep, or busy doing something else because they got bored with all the nonsense.

If kids can figure out how to get in the box, toe the rubber and get in there ready to play in a timely fashion, so can adults.

You are welcome to your opinion. I don't like the rule.

 

[PSUJam]

 

[Jason1743]

these meatheads feel the need to try to power the ball out of the park and end up playing right into the D’s hands. Stupid is as stupid do

I agree that more hitters should have gone the other way when faced with the shift. Unfortunately, I don't think the problem is that the hitters are/were stupid. Home Run hitters get paid a lot more money than singles hitters. Players are responding to the economics of baseball. Home Runs are not affected by the shift.

 

[IrishHerb]

old timer, here. i agree with you. i used to love the sunday dh'ers back in the day. can't find them now unless there are rainouts. i feel cheated
today if i go to one game and see a 1-0 2 hr game. realize i'm in a minority, mostly because today's society has such a short attention span. everything you see or do has to be over yesterday.

There aren't any pre-scheduled doubleheaders these days, because the games have gotten too long. As @CoachET said earlier, today's games last over 3 hours, while games back in the 1950s lasted about 2 and a half hours. I'm an old timer too, used to enjoy doubleheaders in St. Louis while growing up, but can't imagine sitting out in the sun for two 3+ hour games.

 

[Bvillebaron]

I don't mind the pitch clock but part of the problem is not enforcing the requirement for the batter to stay in the box, with exceptions of course. The game length problem isn't all because of slow pitchers.

Serious question. Do batters still only have 8 seconds to get in the box with runner(s) on base since they have to look at the 3rd base coach for signs?