If baseball were a Hollywood celebrity we would say the game has undergone undeniably noticeable cosmetic work to change its appearance. A myriad of rule changes constitutes more of a facelift for America’s favorite pastime than just some baseball Botox and filler injections to freshen things up. Kudos to Major League Baseball for getting most of the surgery it performed on the game during the last decade in search of more youthful appeal to look natural: the pitch clock, the universal designated hitter, limits on shifting, limiting mound visits, the no-pitch intentional walk, the three-batter minimum rule (also satisfied by pitching the final out of an inning) for relievers, increasing the size of the bases by 3 inches, etc.
But there’s one rule change that needs to go under the knife, the odious ghost runner in extra innings. It puts the tyranny of time and concluding the proceedings with hardball haste above competitive integrity and fidelity. After the ninth inning, each team starts their frames at the plate with a runner on second base.
It’s baseball’s version of ChatGPT or, for the older crowd, the Staples easy button. You don’t have to work to put a runner in scoring position. It’s done for you artificially.
Advertisement It’s also antithetical to the aim of several of the other rule changes instituted such as capping pickoff throws/step-offs at two to promote more stolen bases attempts. MLB’s rules overhaul isn’t just about picking up the pace. It’.
