Rule changes 2022

[Surgnbuck]

So we saw some new rule changes, and some holdovers this season. Prior to the season, there was a lot of talk about them, mostly the onfield stuff. We learned from the astute research of posters some minutia type stuff, like the rules for the lottery system for one.



The one rule that was arguably one of if not the most discussed was the universal DH.



What I find interesting is how little, if at all, it was mentioned throughout the season, other than opining if such and such should be the DH for a game lineup.



I honestly have to say this blew me away. I expected a lot of comments in the game day threads about things like "this is where the pitcher would be hitting, and probably PH for but not now".



So.....for those who positively hated the DH, how much did you notice it now? I for one stated I preferred a universal format, with my preference pitchers hit but knew that the reality was the AL wasn't abandoning it, so I just learned to live with it.



I would say that arguably, the most discussed (or disgust, as some refused to watch extra innings zombie runner style) was the runner on second.



But all in all, with the exception of the ghost runner being mentioned if not actually discussed, that the rules changes never really came up very much in the game day threads.



Now that we made it through an entire regular season with a bunch of newer rules, and more to come in 2023, do you find yourself realizing maybe the rule changes weren't that big of a deal, or did you simply not want to bring it up anymore?



Hope the board will be watching the post season. I know some fans don't if their team isn't in it. I pray for every series to go the distance, with some exceptions, because I'm not ready for football, hockey, and basketball just yet.

[mouse]

I was adamantly opposed to the DH but quickly adjusted and never thought of it again. I thought of this a week or so ago and was surprised that it had slipped from my thoughts. On the other hand, I thought about left-handed batters who refused (or maybe couldn't learn how) to hit to the opposite field for a free hit when half the defense was lined up between first and second. They just kept swinging from the heels, home run or nothing.



I suspect I'll adjust to next year's rules soon enough as well (although the limit on throws to first seems odd).

[Bobster21]

I hate the DH but once they initiated it in the NL, there was no point in pointing out when pitchers would have batted or been PH for. But I find it interesting that in their first season without pitchers batting, the Pirate hitters set a record for striking out. Nevertheless, it's obvious that non-pitchers should hit better than pitchers. But pitchers batting, for better or worse, was part of the NL game. Now we don't see much PHing, or being able to get out of jams pitching to the bottom of the order. But most of all, we don't get those rare moments when a pitcher isn't expected to hit but comes through with a hit to excite the fans. When a DH gets a meaningless 2-out single, it's not a moment fans will remember. But they'd remember seeing a pitcher get a hit. Fans want their teams to hit better (i.e., with DH instead of pitchers) but it helps the other team too. And it hurts the Pirates who will use anybody to DH while many other teams pay big bucks for a top hitter for that role.



The ghost runner is a disgrace to the game I love and I do not watch games past the 9th inning. Whatever that is beginning with the 10th inning, it isn't baseball.

[JollyRoger]

I adapted to the rule changes. I’m OK with the DH. It’s better than watching pitchers look like fools trying to hit. I get that it takes some of the strategy out of the game. But in the Pirates case, it’s a positive because it takes some decision making out of the Managers hand. Therefore less decisions for Shelty to screw up.

The Ghost runner is not baseball, but it did cut down on game times and endless extra innings.

I’m looking forward to the pitch clock next year. It is something that should have been enforced long before now. Baseball has to cut down the average time of a game.

I will never be in favor of replacing umpires calling ball and strikes. Baseball is a game played and enjoyed by humans. Humans are not perfect. I agree that the umps are inconsistent but they are trying their best. Sometimes life is not fair. Deal with it.

[2drfischer@gmail.c]

I remain vehemently opposed to the DH, and that will never change. I can’t do anything about it’s adoption by the NL. I’ll still listen to games and go to the ballpark to watch, but the game is not as good as it used to be for me.

[IABucFan]

Ok...here goes.



I can't answer the original question because I haven't watched a game in over three years. At all. Not one single MLB game in three years. I didn't read a game thread on here all year. I honestly don't think I could name ten players on the Pirates now. I used to watch nearly every night. Every so often, I'll check in on this board. Honestly, I miss it. I love baseball, but I just can't get past what they've done to, in my mind, ruin the game. One by one, here goes...



1. Four-finger wave for an IBB...I remember a game in 2003, Pirates vs. Astros. Bucs won in the 18th inning in large part because of a wild pitch on an intentional walk. That will never happen again.



2. Three-batter minimums. A stupid rule. Yes, people don't like pitching changes. I get it. But who the hell does MLB think they are telling a manager when he can and can't use his players? If he wants to have a guy throw one pitch, it should be his prerogative, not Rob Manfred's.



3. The NL DH...a travesty. It takes a major strategic element out of the game. Probably the best Pirates game I've ever seen was the McCutchen walk-off against the Cards in July 2015. So much of that game would have never happened if today's rules were in place, include A.J. Burnett's home run.



4. Extra inning ghost runners...no comment other than to say I agree with Bobster. Whatever they're playing in extra innings, it isn't baseball.



5. Pitch clock...I'm ok with this, but I doubt it impacts anything. Maybe shaves a couple of minutes off of a game. Guys aren't taking "that" long. And even if they are, so what? You want constant action, go watch hockey or basketball. Baseball is different.



6. Illegal defense...this rule is so dumb. For reasons, see what I said about the three-batter minimum. If a manager wants to put three guys on one side of the infield and leave the other side wide open, it's not Rob Manfred's place to tell him he can't do that. Like the DH, it eliminates a strategic part of the game in the name of entertainment.



7. Bigger bases...modifying something that has been part of the game for decades. What impact will this have on college, high school, AAU, and Little League baseball? Will they also have to adopt the bigger bases?



8. Limiting throws to first base. Again, it's not Rob Manfred's place to dictate this to teams. The commissioner's office is now impacting play on the field. And that's a travesty in my mind.



9. Declining of the illegal defense penalty...MLB has now become some combination of the NBA (illegal defense), the NFL (declining of penalties), and the NHL (playing a different game in overtime/extra innings than what you played during the game).



10. Coming soon to a ballpark near you...an outfield restraining line (see above for my comments on the commissioner's office impacting the game), and moving the mound back (see above for my comments on bigger bases).



I hardly recognize this game, at least in my mind. Hence, why I haven't watched a game in three years, plus the Pirates total ineptitude. I'd honestly LOVE for someone to tell me it's all in my head, and that the game itself hasn't changed much. That it's the same game I fell in love with as a kid. But this just feels like when my grandma was dying with dementia. Yes, she was still my grandma, but it wasn't "her," if you know what I mean. The person I saw on the outside wasn't the person I knew. And it was actually painful to visit her.



I'm not adverse to change. I kind of like the new balanced schedules. I'm adverse to changing the fabric of the game. I hardly recognize this game. I miss baseball. I love baseball. And I wish baseball would come back. I'm not sure what this new game is.

[2drfischer@gmail.c]

Really well said, IA. I have many of the same sentiments. The rule changes made since the institution of the DH back in ‘73 have not been for the best as I see it, too.

[IABucFan]

666E6D5A4C694E412F0 wrote: Ok...here goes.



I can't answer the original question because I haven't watched a game in over three years. At all. Not one single MLB game in three years. I didn't read a game thread on here all year. I honestly don't think I could name ten players on the Pirates now. I used to watch nearly every night. Every so often, I'll check in on this board. Honestly, I miss it. I love baseball, but I just can't get past what they've done to, in my mind, ruin the game. One by one, here goes...



1. Four-finger wave for an IBB...I remember a game in 2003, Pirates vs. Astros. Bucs won in the 18th inning in large part because of a wild pitch on an intentional walk. That will never happen again.



2. Three-batter minimums. A stupid rule. Yes, people don't like pitching changes. I get it. But who the hell does MLB think they are telling a manager when he can and can't use his players? If he wants to have a guy throw one pitch, it should be his prerogative, not Rob Manfred's.



3. The NL DH...a travesty. It takes a major strategic element out of the game. Probably the best Pirates game I've ever seen was the McCutchen walk-off against the Cards in July 2015. So much of that game would have never happened if today's rules were in place, include A.J. Burnett's home run.



4. Extra inning ghost runners...no comment other than to say I agree with Bobster. Whatever they're playing in extra innings, it isn't baseball.



5. Pitch clock...I'm ok with this, but I doubt it impacts anything. Maybe shaves a couple of minutes off of a game. Guys aren't taking "that" long. And even if they are, so what? You want constant action, go watch hockey or basketball. Baseball is different.



6. Illegal defense...this rule is so dumb. For reasons, see what I said about the three-batter minimum. If a manager wants to put three guys on one side of the infield and leave the other side wide open, it's not Rob Manfred's place to tell him he can't do that. Like the DH, it eliminates a strategic part of the game in the name of entertainment.



7. Bigger bases...modifying something that has been part of the game for decades. What impact will this have on college, high school, AAU, and Little League baseball? Will they also have to adopt the bigger bases?



8. Limiting throws to first base. Again, it's not Rob Manfred's place to dictate this to teams. The commissioner's office is now impacting play on the field. And that's a travesty in my mind.



9. Declining of the illegal defense penalty...MLB has now become some combination of the NBA (illegal defense), the NFL (declining of penalties), and the NHL (playing a different game in overtime/extra innings than what you played during the game).



10. Coming soon to a ballpark near you...an outfield restraining line (see above for my comments on the commissioner's office impacting the game), and moving the mound back (see above for my comments on bigger bases).



I hardly recognize this game, at least in my mind. Hence, why I haven't watched a game in three years, plus the Pirates total ineptitude. I'd honestly LOVE for someone to tell me it's all in my head, and that the game itself hasn't changed much. That it's the same game I fell in love with as a kid. But this just feels like when my grandma was dying with dementia. Yes, she was still my grandma, but it wasn't "her," if you know what I mean. The person I saw on the outside wasn't the person I knew. And it was actually painful to visit her.



I'm not adverse to change. I kind of like the new balanced schedules. I'm adverse to changing the fabric of the game. I hardly recognize this game. I miss baseball. I love baseball. And I wish baseball would come back. I'm not sure what this new game is.


To follow up on this...I really like chess. I study the game. I'm fascinated by the great players' abilities to see deep into a position, sometimes ten or more moves ahead. What would happen if FIDE came out and said, "People don't really understand castling and the en passant move. They're confusing, and castling in particular makes for a more boring game because it hides your king away in the corner of the board. We're going to eliminate these moves from the game. We're also only going to play blitz (each player must make all moves in under five minutes)." It would be horrible for the game of chess. Literally hundreds of years of opening theory and study would be thrown out the window in the name of a more entertaining game. Future development and thoughts on positions would be stunted because the greats (Carlsen, Kasparov, Anand, Caruana, Nakamura, etc.) would be under time pressure every time they played.



The game would morph into simply memorizing positions, knowing what the computer says is the correct move, and carrying it out, all in the name of entertainment. MLB, by simplifying the game, in my mind is doing the same thing. They're sacrificing innovation and thought in the name of "We want more homers! Give us more homers! Chicks dig the long ball!"

[Surgnbuck]

Though the rule changes have different thoughts among different people, one thing I hate over everything else is the all or nothing mentality, and that has nothing to do with DH's, ghost runners, etc.



This Houston Seattle game isn't a classic pitchers duel. It's a classic whiff fest of each and every single hitter trying to hit a HR every time up.



That isn't baseball either. That's purely the effect of insane contracts going to power hitters. Everybody wants some.

[2drfischer@gmail.c]

I’ve expressed before that I find HRs to be boring to watch. To me, they’re like watching a basketball player shoot a free throw.