Tag Archives: Pace of Play

Support Rob Manfred: Contact The MLBPA About Pace Of Play

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Rob Manfred has gotten a contract extension to remain The Commissioner of Major League Baseball for another 5 years.  That is outstanding news for all baseball fans because Mr. Manfred is a man on a mission to save our beautiful game.

Declining Ratings

And why does our game need saving?  Because ratings and attendance are down, more every year.  How is it that the World Series between Boston and LA, two historical franchises, had reduced ratings of 20% over the prior year?  Because people hate the Red Sox.  Oh, and it takes too long.  The game simply takes too long.

Rob Manfred, a hero of busy people with only so much time, has taken on Titans and Legends alike in his time as Commissioner, all in the name of reducing Pace of Play.  Let’s take a brief walk down his warpath.

Rob Manfred Pace Of Play Initiatives

In 2015, Big Time Rob got the MLB Players Union to agree to several Pace of Play initiatives:

  • Managers have to stay in the dugout during replay challenges.  I have to admit, I kind of miss Lou Piniella.  But it saves time!
  • Hitter have to keep one foot in the batter’s box at all times.  No more afternoon strolls or other shenanigans.
  • The game must start promptly after commercial breaks.
  • Relievers have 2 minutes 30 seconds to come in from the bullpen and warm up.

It’s debatable how often Thor, I mean Rob Manfred, threw the hammer and fined players for their violations.  But clearly, the battle lines were drawn.

The Owners Pony Up

In 2018 Jon Snow, I mean Ron Manfred, pulled out his long sword and did the unthinkable: He got the MLB owners to agree to reduce commercial time.  This is money directly out of their pockets.  20 seconds less per break during the regular season. That’s almost a 10% reduction on 2:25 of ad time.

That hurts.  It’s estimated that on national MLB games in 2017 the total cost of advertising was $313 million.  That was just network games like Fox and TBS.  Imagine all the team networks out there, charging for ads in all the MLB games every day.

Now imagine bigger.  In 2017, the Phillies signed a deal with Comcast for $5 Billion over 25 years to televise the games.

The Players Need To Get Behind This

It’s high time the Major League Players Association started getting truly serious about reducing the time it takes to watch the games.  I won’t say this is a crisis, but I don’t think I have to go chapter and verse of why a faster game would benefit all.

In 2018, when Jesse Owens, I mean Rob Manfred, negotiated the reduction in ad time, as well as limiting mound visits, he wanted to introduce the play clock.  But he could not come to an agreement with the Players Association.

I’m no expert, but Paul Bunyan, I mean Rob Manfred, and his team are experts.  And they say increasing the pace of play is vital for the game.  The Commish could implement things like the pitch clock and between-batter timer unilaterally if he wanted to.  But he has been exercising caution in the name of labor peace and cooperation thus far.

A Travesty In The World Series

I mean honestly, they were playing ads between pitches during the World Series.  Between pitches in the ninth inning of a close game in the World Series.  I watched this happen and was enraged.

The history and honor and glory of our great game is made and lost in the 9th inning of World Series games.  How is it possible ads are playing between pitches?

Because too much time is taken between each and every pitch!  It’s on the teams, the players, the managers, and the league, to make it inconceivable a real ad could be placed between pitches in the 9th inning of a World Series Game.

A Call To Action

I propose a grassroots campaign to flood the Major League Players association with calls and emails and letters urging them to agree with Commissioner Manfred to do anything possible to speed up the game.  Here is the MLBPA contact information:

  • Website: www.mlbplayers.org
  • Phone number: (212) 826 – 0808
  • Email address: feedback@mlbpa.org
  • Address: 12 East 49th St, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10017

The owners have given up millions of dollars.  They, in turn, have endorsed General George S. Patton, I mean Commissioner Manfred, to go on a long campaign of reducing the pace of play.

This is the players’ game.  They need to get behind these efforts instead of fighting them.  We cheer them, boo them, love them, hate them, and ultimately support all of them by attending and watching.

Now let them hear your voices like never before.  Tell them to get behind the efforts, like the pitch clock, to speed up the game and not make it a point of contention or call for labor strife within the Players Union.  Make it part of our great game going forward instead of a stagnant game going backward.

For the love of the game.

David Price, Red Sox Win, Game 2 Recap

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The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series.  David Price was locked in, the relentless 2 out offense was in bloom, and now the Sox have a 2-0 lead.

We’re not in the peak Eck ‘Time To Party‘ zone yet, but man oh man are we getting close!

David Price

Live it up David.  Any man who goes six innings with three hits allowed and two earned runs in the World Series gets to have his kid up there bring some levity.

While Price was busy rewriting his post season narrative, the offense continued to do things we have never seen.  The mantra for offense in baseball is batting with runners in scoring position.  For premium offense it’s all that plus doing it with two outs.

There is David Ortiz clutch, in which a singular individual gets hit after hit to win games in the post season.  Then there is this team’s version.

In the top of the 5th inning, Hyun-Jin Ryu was steamrolling the Red Sox lineup.  He got Ian Kinsler to ground out and JBJ to hit a weak infield fly.  He got Christian Vazquez to an 0-2 count.  Then it began.

Vasqy keeps his swing short and hits a single.  Betts singled.  The anticipation and trust and faith in this team begins to ripple through Fenway.  Benny walks and the bases are loaded.

The Turning Point

Dave Roberts is getting killed for over managing his Dodgers, but what would you do?  Let Ryu face lefty killer Steve Pearce with the bases loaded, or bring in a normally trustworthy strikeout reliever?  Roberts goes with door number 2 and brings in Ryan Madson.

The moment proved too big for Madson.  He walks Pearce.  Almost every pitch looked like Mariano Rivera’s last pitch to Kevin Millar in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS to set up Roberts famous steal.  The score is now 2-2.  All of this with two outs.

So Madson, who had blown away JD Martinez in Game 1 with the bases loaded, gets to face him in the same situation.  You can’t stop JD Martinez, you can only hope to contain him.  Because JD is so obsessed about hitting, he look locked in, laser focused.  Staying inside the ball, he rockets the second pitch to right and two more runs score.  It’s 4-2 and the Dodgers are shook.

The Dodgers were one strike away from getting out of that inning.  Who knows how long Ryu could’ve pitched.  But The Red Sox relentlessness is a wonder to behold.  Putting the ball in play.  The Red Sox are making this look easy.  Despite what we are witnessing it is not.

Historical Perspective

With runners in scoring position in the postseason the Red Sox are hitting 17-40.  That’s a .425 average.  .425 is beyond comprehension. They’ve turned into peak Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn, at the most critical times of the game.

The only other team in the same stratosphere is another old timey Titan.  That’s the 1910 Philadelphia A’s.  You remember them.  Lead by a young Eddy Collins, they hit .394 in those situations.

The Bullpen

Tip of the cap.  High Five.  Way to go!  The Red Sox bullpen, so maligned and beleaguered during the year, continued to dominate.  Of note, Nathan Eovaldi, building an MVP case, pitched a clean 8th inning for the second game in a row.  Along with Price, they set down the final 16 Dodgers hitters in a row.

Outfield Defense

Another day, another outstanding outfield catch.  This was in the top of the 5th with the Dodgers trying to to increase their 2-1 lead.  Brian Dozier thought he had a lead-off hit, but yet again there was Andrew Benintendi.  Consequently, it was just another out.

Viewing Note

Commissioner Rob Manfred did an interview with Felger and Mazz on 98.5 The Sports Hub yesterday.  You can find it here in the second half of the run-time.  The interview starts off contentious.  No surprise there.  Up for debate: pace of play.

The incorrigible Felger hammers Manfred on pace of play in the postseason and Manfred takes exception.  More or less Manfred downplays it and says pace of play is not as big of a deal as Felger is saying it is.

When it’s the 9th inning of Game 2 of the World Series, the score is 4-2, and the closer is on the mound?  That is what drama and tension and watch-ability is all about.  Most importantly Legends are made and Goats are birthed in these situations.

What do I see on my screen between batters coming to the plate?  A split screen ad.  Because Fox knows there’s all kinds of time between batters coming up and between pitches.  They used it in Game 2 to throw ads at us, not between innings, but between pitches.

If that’s not a mic drop argument that there is way too much time wasted in the game of baseball, I don’t know what is.  Commissioner Manfred, it is appalling you are allowing this to happen.

On To LA

The 2018 Sox are making themselves into an all time juggernaut.  They’re up 2-0 in the World Series and headed to LA, the land of swimming pools and movie stars.  Get ready for your glamour shot boys!

The Ruination of Baseball: Pace of Play

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On Wednesday March 14th 2018, Minor League Baseball announced changes made to the rules in regards to “speeding up the game”. These changes include mound visits, a 15-20 second pitch clock, and most importantly: beginning every half inning with a man on second base in extra innings. These changes naturally do not settle well with avid baseball fans, let alone baseball purists. To change the sport to fit the needs of an audience that it was never meant to target in the first place is unethical and quite simply not the right move.

Patience is Key

Baseball has always been the sport for the patient man. To outsiders, it is a sport like any other. The team that achieves the most runs (I hate the word “points” when talking about baseball) will win. Basically view it as a shootout. Although, when it comes to baseball, patience has a lot to do with how a team accumulates runs.

Think about it like a chess match; there are intricate strategies, statistics that could change the way a pitcher operates uniquely for each batter, signs for plays, warm ups between each half inning, among others. It is a sport for someone who realizes something new could happen in any game. Now I understand times and people change and some things should be tweaked for the sake of not having a rule from 1839 in 2018, but it has gone too far.

The Good

Just to clarify, I like the limitation of mound visits in all levels of the game. In Triple-A each team gets six visits, Double-A is eight, Single-A is ten, and unlimited for short season and rookie league. I can’t help but chuckle when I see Gary Sanchez go out to Masahiro Tanaka during a game. What could they be saying? Does Gary speak Japanese and nobody but those two know it? On a serious note, there doesn’t have to be a mound visit from a catcher between every single pitch. They may last 20-30 seconds, but they could add up quickly and disrupt the natural flow of the game if abused. Limiting mound visits is good.

The Bad and the Ugly

Let’s now discuss the bad. The MILB also dropped a bombshell on fans when they announced extra innings will begin with a runner on second base. Whoever is poised to leadoff the inning will have the previous batter be the second base runner. Basically it works like this: It’s the top of the 10th and your number seven batter is up to bat. The number 6 batter will be the extra inning runner. That extra inning runner is deemed to be a runner that has reached base by way of a fielding error. However, an error wont be charged to the opposing team or an opposing player. Which means they will not count as an RBI as per rule 9.04 (b,2). Also, it will not affect the opposing pitcher’s ERA as per rule 9.16 (b,3).

Think about this though: a 9 inning game could, in theory, last infinitely in regards to time. There have been 9 inning games that have reached four hours. So I am baffled as to how randomly adding a base runner in extra innings improves pace of play. Even still, both teams would be deadlocked once extra innings begin, but they are both still competing evenly. Extra innings could resume if both extra inning runners score resulting in a continued game.

Being on Base Is Earned

In my eyes, this is the first time base runners will consistently reach base and not earn it. Players earn the right to reach base by hitting, walking, hustling to first on a called third strike in the dirt, etc. The point is that it is almost always earned.

This also would disrupt the strategies of many managers. For instance, say you have your number one hitter due up in extra innings, and your pitcher is due to be the extra inning runner. Being that, I have been witness to one of the pitchers on my team injure himself when he was used as a pinch runner. Thus negatively effecting his season (Stephen Wright), this is not ideal. Sure, you could use a pinch runner but then that pinch runner will be gone unless he scores. Thus possibly making managers expend their bench players at a faster rate.

I get it, baseball is really trying to make the game more interesting for those who can’t sit still for more than two hours at a time. But maybe that innocence should be preserved for someone like me, who appreciates every moment of baseball possible. This rule should never even be considered to reach the Major League level and fans of the game should fight for it’s best interest. The game hasn’t lasted this long for no reason, after all.

@ELJGON

Featured Photo: Jeff Curry – USA Today Sports

Pace of Play in Major League Baseball

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MiLB is now a testing ground for everything baseball related. This ranges from players to umpires. Not to mention, future big-league executives. In recent seasons Minor League Baseball has become test subjects for rules that the major leagues might employ in the future. Pace of Play is a big debate in baseball. The addition of a pitch clock in MiLB and Spring Training games is the root of the changes so far. It is yet to appear in the Big Leagues due to player backlash. Today, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced some new rules that will be in effect this upcoming season.

Manfred announced the following rules: placing a runner on second base to begin extra innings, limit of six mound visits, and a clock for between innings and pitching changes. The last rule was also in effect last season. These rules stir the pot between players, fans, and front office executives. Many “pure” baseball fans hate seeing our game changed. Many of the players hate rules limiting their “rituals” and processes they go through. David Ortiz’s comments on rule changes a couple of seasons ago reiterate this.

Many high up executives and some “fans” think games are too long. Michael Felger wants every possible second saved when watching a game.

Why the Change?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. While many news outlets and baseball haters argue that Major League Baseball is struggling to make money, this is just not true. Major League Baseball is a $9.5 Billion Industry. Nearly three times what the National Hockey League is at $3.7 Billion. Yet so many, like Commissioner Manfred, find the need for change. While games are certainly long, why is this such a terrible thing? If a family is going to a 1:05 Red Sox afternoon game, they plan a day out of it. They plan on the game ending sometime around 4:30.

Yet so many team executives find the need for drastic change to America’s Pastime. So many ideas are flying around the Major League Baseball offices looking to shave every conceivable second off game time.  Bullpen carts, pitch clocks, limiting mound visits, not being allowed to leave the batter’s box are all considered “time savers”. But how much time do they save? What, 10-15 minutes off the game? Thank goodness, I really need those 15 minutes off the game or else it is just unwatchable. Why ruin a beloved sport for the sake of 15 minutes? It just does not make any sense.

New Rule

The rule of adding a runner to second base at the start of extra innings is unbelievably stupid. How can you lose a game because of a runner you did not put on base? How will this affect a pitcher’s earned run average? There are so many unanswered questions regarding this rule. The rule somewhat makes sense in the minor leagues where winning is not the most important thing rather the experience the players are getting. However, in Major League Baseball the rule should never be allowed. Extra innings are magical in baseball. Every swing, pitch, catch, play is amplified.  Why ruin that? Yes, there are some games that go 19 innings, but is that really such an epidemic in baseball? That will, at most, happen twice a season. Many fans who stick it out are proud of such an accomplish meant.

With all these changes it seems that no game will ever come close to the 33 inning contest between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. Today, that game is celebrated as one of the biggest events in Baseball history, many fans who were there, wear it as a badge of honor. I wish I were one of the lucky few who went.

 

Follow Matt McGurn on Twitter: @MickGurn

Cover image courtesy of USA Today.