The extra inning runner on 2B rule

[LocoChris]

9 hours ago, fansince71 said:

I think it’s here to stay and that comparison is loco.

Yes sadly I think it’s here to stay as well. What other cheap gimmicks are you guys willing to sell out for? Let’s replace the pitchers with a machine. The “pitcher” can stand on the mound and program what pitch he wants into it. Now he can’t blow out his arm! What’s not to love?

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, LocoChris said:

Yes sadly I think it’s here to stay as well. What other cheap gimmicks are you guys willing to sell out for? Let’s replace the pitchers with a machine. The “pitcher” can stand on the mound and program what pitch he wants into it. Now he can’t blow out his arm! What’s not to love?

Haxxors altering the code.

[DrungoHazewood]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

Last year 20% of games went to extra innings.

Really?  I though the historical average was around 10%, maybe less than that.

Isn't the number for 2019 213 extra inning games out of 2430 total?  That's 8.7%.

If you search for team games that last longer than nine innings you get two hits for every game (i.e. O's-Sox goes to extra you get one hit for O's, one for Sox.), so that could be the difference.

[DrungoHazewood]

2 hours ago, Oriole1940 said:

This new rule smacks of similar rules that elementary school children come up with when they play ball on the schoolyard.  That very rule and others like it we used to come up with.  What a way to cheapen baseball.    I know, some believe if you have not changed anything in a long while, there MUST be something that needs changing.  Maybe so, but not this childish rule.  

 

You know what's childish?  Throwing overhand.  Sure, any team can get the biggest kid on the playground and hurl the ball as fast as humanly possible and strike everyone out.  But the founders made a game where the primary conflict was between batters and fielders.  Not one where you sit around for four hours watching some behemoth throw gas to another behemoth who's trying to hit the ball 600 feet.  We really need to get back to the roots, the foundation, of the sport and make any delivery above the waist illegal.  I've had enough of gimmicks.

[DrungoHazewood]

9 minutes ago, LocoChris said:

Yes sadly I think it’s here to stay as well. What other cheap gimmicks are you guys willing to sell out for? Let’s replace the pitchers with a machine. The “pitcher” can stand on the mound and program what pitch he wants into it. Now he can’t blow out his arm! What’s not to love?

Other silly gimmicks I'd like to do away with:

- Foul balls are strikes. I mean, seriously?  If a batter has the ability to hit a tough pitch foul why should he be punished by the non-fans who can't stand long at bats?

- The pitcher's mound.  If a box drawn on the ground 50' from the plate was good enough for Harry Wright and Al Spalding (not to mention Jenny Finch and Eddie Feigner), it's good enough for John Means.  Are they pitchers or mountain goats?

- Lights.  Oooohhh... I can play a game at midnight, look at me!  You should be home with your family, not carousing all night at a ballgame.  If you can't get off work to watch the game maybe you're not a real fan.

[LocoChris]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Other silly gimmicks I'd like to do away with:

- Foul balls are strikes. I mean, seriously?  If a batter has the ability to hit a tough pitch foul why should he be punished by the non-fans who can't stand long at bats?

- The pitcher's mound.  If a box drawn on the ground 50' from the plate was good enough for Harry Wright and Al Spalding (not to mention Jenny Finch and Eddie Feigner), it's good enough for John Means.  Are they pitchers or mountain goats?

- Lights.  Oooohhh... I can play a game at midnight, look at me!  You should be home with your family, not carousing all night at a ballgame.  If you can't get off work to watch the game maybe you're not a real fan.

Those changes, apart from occurring so long ago that very few people even knows they were once actual rules, addressed actual problems. What problem is being addressed here? Pace of play? Pace of play is a made up problem. You want to fix pace of play, cut out some between-inning advertisements. But of course they’d never do that. They want their money. 

Is it to prevent overuse of bullpens? How about something sensible like not yanking  your starter after 2 pitches or adding another roster spot or two. Something that doesn’t completely change the game. Why is this rubber on second? Why is he on base at all? He didn’t even bat and he’s not a pinch runner. Why should the pitcher be penalized like that? 
 

This was a rule to pander to people who don’t like baseball. 

[LocoChris]

Just now, LocoChris said:

Those changes, apart from occurring so long ago that very few people even knows they were once actual rules, addressed actual problems. What problem is being addressed here? Pace of play? Pace of play is a made up problem. You want to fix pace of play, cut out some between-inning advertisements. But of course they’d never do that. They want their money. 

Is it to prevent overuse of bullpens? How about something sensible like not yanking  your starter after 2 pitches or adding another roster spot or two. Something that doesn’t completely change the game. Why is this rubber on second? Why is he on base at all? He didn’t even bat and he’s not a pinch runner. Why should the pitcher be penalized like that? 
 

This was a rule to pander to people who don’t like baseball. 

rubber, not rubber. lol  

[LocoChris]

Just now, LocoChris said:

rubber, not rubber. lol  

runner dammit

[LocoChris]

Give us nonmembers a damn edit button for crying out loud 

[Frobby]

20 minutes ago, LocoChris said:

This was a rule to pander to people who don’t like baseball. 

What a condescending thing to say.    So far 60% of the people who’ve responded in the poll like the rule.    They’re not on the site if they don’t like baseball.    I’ve been a rabid fan for 54 years, and I like the rule.    Don’t tell me I don’t like baseball.    

[DrungoHazewood]

1 hour ago, LocoChris said:

Those changes, apart from occurring so long ago that very few people even knows they were once actual rules, addressed actual problems. What problem is being addressed here? Pace of play? Pace of play is a made up problem. You want to fix pace of play, cut out some between-inning advertisements. But of course they’d never do that. They want their money. 

Is it to prevent overuse of bullpens? How about something sensible like not yanking  your starter after 2 pitches or adding another roster spot or two. Something that doesn’t completely change the game. Why is this rubber on second? Why is he on base at all? He didn’t even bat and he’s not a pinch runner. Why should the pitcher be penalized like that? 

This was a rule to pander to people who don’t like baseball. 

It's fixing the problem that I rarely can watch the end of a nine-inning weekday game, and an extra inning game is not even on the table. I like baseball quite a lot, I've been watching the Orioles since an average game took about 2.5 hours and there was legitimate hope that Mom and Dad would let me stay up to the end.  On Friday my son and I stayed up to the end of the game, it only went nine, but we were both asleep on the couch by the time it was over around 10:45.  Can you imagine if the O's had tied it up and there was no runner on second rule?  It would likely have been a standard-issue weeknight game that ended near midnight.

Yes, one of many issues contributing to pace of play is the use of 45 relievers a game, half of them mid-inning substitutes, necessitating a commercial break.  That's why they're implementing the 3-batter rule, which most folks who're against all rules changes also hate.

100 years ago you an average nine-inning game was under 2:00, and they played a 26-inning game in under 4:00.  The 2020 Orioles have played two nine inning games that lasted less than 2:55, and even with the new rules they have three extra inning games over 3:50.

I'm all for cutting out ads and charging more for each one.  But the big thing is just plain old pace of play.  Pitchers used to just get the ball and pitch, batters would step in and hit.  If in 1920 you could play an average game in 1:55 the additional 1:15 today isn't baseball, it's messing around.  Baseball needs to take proactive steps to fix their problems.  I don't know that the runner on second thing is the best possible option, but I love that they've actually decided to try something, as opposed to their normal mode of operation of branding problems as features.  "See... when the game takes 4:15 that just means that you got 2 1/2 hours more baseball for free!  Next year we'll give you six hours a game and only increase ticket prices $5!  Such a bargain!"

[DrungoHazewood]

2 hours ago, LocoChris said:

This was a rule to pander to people who don’t like baseball. 

Even if you take out the intentionally trolling "pander" part there is some truth there.  A lot of people don't like baseball because of the combination of lack of action, the long pauses, and the long games.  The version of baseball that is most plagued by these things is also the big business version of baseball.  Little League games don't take three and a half hours.  The pro version does.  Which is the part of baseball that is necessarily very concerned about growing the fanbase and the corresponding revenues. 

If MLB isn't at all concerned about why many people don't like baseball, they're doomed to a smaller and smaller, older and older core of fans.  Primarily people who grew up watching baseball, who are now retired, and don't care so much if the game is over at midnight since they don't have to get up at 5am to go work anymore.

What you're telling us is that you don't care if games last 17 innings and take forever, and that's what all real fans think, too.  Sorry we don't.

[Hallas]

4 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Even if you take out the intentionally trolling "pander" part there is some truth there.  A lot of people don't like baseball because of the combination of lack of action, the long pauses, and the long games.  The version of baseball that is most plagued by these things is also the big business version of baseball.  Little League games don't take three and a half hours.  The pro version does.  Which is the part of baseball that is necessarily very concerned about growing the fanbase and the corresponding revenues. 

If MLB isn't at all concerned about why many people don't like baseball, they're doomed to a smaller and smaller, older and older core of fans.  Primarily people who grew up watching baseball, who are now retired, and don't care so much if the game is over at midnight since they don't have to get up at 5am to go work anymore.

What you're telling us is that you don't care if games last 17 innings and take forever, and that's what all real fans think, too.  Sorry we don't.

"No baseball fan would hate a 5 hour game!"

"I'm a baseball fan and I hate 5 hour games."

"No TRUE baseball fan would hate a 5 hour game!"

[Philip]

4 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

You know what's childish?  Throwing overhand.  Sure, any team can get the biggest kid on the playground and hurl the ball as fast as humanly possible and strike everyone out.  But the founders made a game where the primary conflict was between batters and fielders.  Not one where you sit around for four hours watching some behemoth throw gas to another behemoth who's trying to hit the ball 600 feet.  We really need to get back to the roots, the foundation, of the sport and make any delivery above the waist illegal.  I've had enough of gimmicks.

I think your comment was intended to be sarcastic, but I actually agree with it. What is more interesting? Watching a bunch of people stand around while the ball flies 400 feet? Or watching the intricate never seen before never see again choreography of an attempted double play?
Homeruns are boring if you see seven or eight of them every game? And as I say constantly, highlights of homeruns are the most boring highlights in all of professional sports.

[Hallas]

I never really understood why football is allowed to change their rules as often as we change underwear, often resulting in major meta-shifts in the game (e.g. pass interference, illegal contact facilitating huge passing numbers compared to football before the turn of the century) yet every time baseball tries something comparatively small (such as wanting to get extra innings games done faster) it's met with huge backlash from people that want to appeal to the purity of baseball.