How do you like the new “three batter” rule?

[clapdiddy]

On 11/14/2019 at 4:57 PM, esmd said:

Hate it.  I'm sure someone will point out where I'm wrong, but I can't think of another rule that limits a manager's roster flexibility to the detriment of the team.  A guy comes in and gives up back to back HRs, and you can't remove him before he serves up a beach ball to the 3rd hitter?  Madness, IMO.

Agree wholeheartedly with this post.  If a team has the ability to carry a LOOGY on their roster, why should it matter how many batters he faces?   

[Uli2001]

They organic way to limit pitching changes is to decrease the number of pitchers a team can carry. The MLBPA would probably not go along with it.

[DrungoHazewood]

14 minutes ago, Uli2001 said:

They organic way to limit pitching changes is to decrease the number of pitchers a team can carry. The MLBPA would probably not go along with it.

Is there a reason to think the MLBPA would rather have more specialist pitchers than platoon outfielders and pinch hitters?  Besides the current makeup of the MLBPA is more LOOGY-heavy...

[DrungoHazewood]

On 11/15/2019 at 10:00 PM, clapdiddy said:

Agree wholeheartedly with this post.  If a team has the ability to carry a LOOGY on their roster, why should it matter how many batters he faces?   

Because unrestricted substitutions that come with 3-minute timeouts is a detriment to the entertainment value of the sport.

I'd be fine with an alternate rule that allows as many LOOGYs as you like, but they have to be ready to pitch in the same amount of time it takes a pinch hitter to walk to the batters box from the on-deck circle. 

Or you could give managers three timeouts a game.  He can use them any way he wants.  Mound visits, pitching changes, arguing, whatever.  But if he's out of timeouts and he wants a new pitcher, if the new pitcher takes longer than the time allotted in the rules for the next pitch, the batter gets an automatic ball.  And another if necessary.

[clapdiddy]

10 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Because unrestricted substitutions that come with 3-minute timeouts is a detriment to the entertainment value of the sport.

I'd be fine with an alternate rule that allows as many LOOGYs as you like, but they have to be ready to pitch in the same amount of time it takes a pinch hitter to walk to the batters box from the on-deck circle. 

Or you could give managers three timeouts a game.  He can use them any way he wants.  Mound visits, pitching changes, arguing, whatever.  But if he's out of timeouts and he wants a new pitcher, if the new pitcher takes longer than the time allotted in the rules for the next pitch, the batter gets an automatic ball.  And another if necessary.

I've been watching baseball for 35 years and the length of the game has never bothered me. 

If the length of the game is what bothers everyone else, maybe they shouldn't let the manager go to the mound and talk to the pitcher, then make the move.   Or, they could prevent batters from stepping out to adjust their helmets, gloves, crotches or whatever else they need to do before each pitch.  Maybe they should cut back on the between innings time.   Or...get rid of the replay system.   

[thezeroes]

I would prefer that the LOOGY could be used once per game,  the next pitcher has to finish the inning.  Do not allow more than three pitchers per inning in only one instances per game.  Implement the three batters in the other eight innings.  This leaves the managerial decision as to when to best use the LOOGY and only can use it once.  I would also disallow a pitching change for the first batter in an inning if the previous inning pitcher has come out to warm up and a pinch hitter is announced.

[DrungoHazewood]

15 hours ago, clapdiddy said:

I've been watching baseball for 35 years and the length of the game has never bothered me. 

When I was 10 the worst problem I had in the world was that my bedtime was 8:30 or 9:00, which meant I went to bed in the 5th or 6th or 7th inning all the time, and had to sneak a transistor radio under my pillow to make it to the 9th.  Today 8:30 is sometimes the bottom of the 3rd.

Now that I'm 48 it's an annoying problem that my kids can't stay up for the 5th inning, and I'm often asleep before the game is over.  They don't own transistor radios, and they probably couldn't pick up the O's game anyway.

[Redskins Rick]

4 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

When I was 10 the worst problem I had in the world was that my bedtime was 8:30 or 9:00, which meant I went to bed in the 5th or 6th or 7th inning all the time, and had to sneak a transistor radio under my pillow to make it to the 9th.  Today 8:30 is sometimes the bottom of the 3rd.

Now that I'm 48 it's an annoying problem that my kids can't stay up for the 5th inning, and I'm often asleep before the game is over.  They don't own transistor radios, and they probably couldn't pick up the O's game anyway.

One thing about the "Old" days, between WTOP  and WBAL AM radio had the areas pretty well coverage, and at night, WBAL could get some pretty nice skips down to southern md and PA.

[GuidoSarducci]

The problem for me wasn't shaving off 5 minutes or 10 minutes or whatever from the total game time.  The problem was late in game where a lefty comes to the plate (who doesnt hit well against lefties), the manager pulls him in for his LOOGY.   Regardless of the outcome,  said reliever then gets pulled for the "real" reliever next batter.  Especially when there's runners on, on the batting team is behind by a run or two.   Tension gets built up in anticipation of the team maybe rallying from behind.  Then the manager does his slow walk out the mound.   Signal to bullpen, reliever starts jogging in from the outfield (usually). Commercial break and a 2 minute warmup,   Only to repeat the entire process for the next batter.  Lame.

LIke another poster said, this wouldn't be a problem if said reliever were to just run out from the dugout, with no warmup period allowed, and no commercial break.   If they want to allow that as an exception to the 3 batter minimum, then fine.  A "hot pitcher swap" rule. 

Edited November 19, 2019 by GuidoSarducci

[GuidoSarducci]

This actually leads me to another question - why do relievers even need warmup pitches at the mound?  They've should have already been warmed up in the bullpen.   So maybe with my hot swap idea, if the manager is using  LOOGY or other one-batter reliever, two pitchers would actually exit the bullpen - the LOOGY and then the next pitcher would come out with the manager directly from the dugout.     

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, GuidoSarducci said:

This actually leads me to another question - why do relievers even need warmup pitches at the mound?  They've should have already been warmed up in the bullpen.   So maybe with my hot swap idea, if the manager is using  LOOGY or other one-batter reliever, two pitchers would actually exit the bullpen - the LOOGY and then the next pitcher would come out with the manager directly from the dugout.     

To get used to any differences between the two mounds.

[PeteCanes]

On 11/15/2019 at 4:38 PM, DrungoHazewood said:

How often does that happen?  Once every two years?  Three years?

Actually... it's 74 times across MLB since 2015.  Or about once every two years for an average team.

I see what you are saying, but if it happened once and the O's lose I'm still pissed.  

[Frobby]

On 11/15/2019 at 4:38 PM, DrungoHazewood said:

How often does that happen?  Once every two years?  Three years?

Actually... it's 74 times across MLB since 2015.  Or about once every two years for an average team.

But the Orioles are not the average team....

[DrungoHazewood]

14 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

To get used to any differences between the two mounds.

That should be the penalty for swapping pitchers.  The new one has to take a batter or two to figure out the slight nuances of the game mound.

[DrungoHazewood]

11 hours ago, PeteCanes said:

I see what you are saying, but if it happened once and the O's lose I'm still pissed.  

I'd be upset that the Orioles are using pitchers with no concept of the strike zone in the late innings of a close game.  Not at the rules.