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As part of its initiative to improve the pace of game play, Major League Baseball has approved a change to the intentional walk rule, going from the traditional four-pitch walk to a dugout signal, it was announced Wednesday.

MLB has studied various ways to quicken games.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported earlier this month that MLB had made formal proposals to the players’ union to usher in raising the strike zone and scrapping the practice of lobbing four balls toward home plate to issue an intentional walk.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported the other day that the new rule would save an average of only 14 seconds per game.

* And, of course, there’s stuff like this…

Back in my day, Miguel Cabrera hit an intentional walk pitch for a single. #MLB pic.twitter.com/Y4UjkK7jl3

— Elder Cunningham (@PunkRockCarl) February 22, 2017

WHOOPS! Ronald Belisario wild pitch scores run during intentional walk http://t.co/O9uJQ6rHcr pic.twitter.com/rhpVoj1J1k

— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) June 30, 2015

When an intentional walk becomes a 400 ft sac fly. Gary Sanchez proves he'll hit anything. #Yankees #MLB pic.twitter.com/yCuhR5gam2

— The Ledge (@TheLedgeSports) September 11, 2016

* The Question: What other time-saving rule changes would you support?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:04 pm

Comments

Eliminate mound visits. If a manager wants to replace a pitcher have him do so from the dugout by signaling the ump.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:07 pm
Limit how many times and for how long batters can step out of the Box; also limit how long batters get to prep for a pitch. Guys like Konerko and Garciaparra were like human rain delays..

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/30/entertainment/et-nomar30

Comment by Texas Red Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:08 pm
You can only rearrange your batting gloves once per AB.

Comment by Blue dog dem Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:09 pm
Have all Cub batters start their at bat with one strike already called./s

Comment by G'Kar Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:15 pm
Reduce/limit the time between innings and eliminate the white sox.

Comment by pool boy Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:19 pm
Leave the game alone. Cut down the commercials. The game is not the problem. The commercialization of it over the years is what has caused the “speed” problem. The same ones wanting to speed things up are the ones raking in the revenue from the commercials.

Comment by LessAnon? Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:19 pm
There was really nothing about baseball that needed to change. Who was being harmed by the games lasting an extra 7 minutes due to mound visits and intentional walks? The neurotic desire to keep tinkering around with a beautiful game that has served the nation well for over a 100 years is silly. If they want to make the games go faster just put a 2 1/2 hour clock up that counts down after the first pitch and when the horn blows it’s all over. While I am ranting, I also opposed the elimination of home plate collisions, it was the most exciting play in the game.

Comment by Saluki Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:19 pm
1) The new video replays system takes far too much time. Get rid of it for regular season games (keep it for the postseason) except for disputed home run calls. During a 162 game season, the bad calls even out — it’s the law of averages.

2) One catchers visit to the mound per-inning, per pitcher.

Comment by Bill C. Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:20 pm
How about enforcing the current rules that require batters to remain in the batter’s box between pitches? the umpires hardly enforced that new rule last year, allowing the players to walk around, take practice swings, adjust their gloves, take a nap, write their congressman. I think all this endless dilly-dallying is pointless. why must the games of today last so much longer than the games of two or three decades ago. the game is still great, but critics have a point when they complain about how slow and dull it can be.

Comment by jim Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:24 pm
Absolutely none. Baseball is just fine the way it is. If baseball is too long, watch another sport.

Comment by So_Ill Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:32 pm
I thought baseball was supposed to be slow. A leisurely, beer-in-the-hand, play hooky from school or work to enjoy a warm summer day sort of game.

But, yeah, now it’s all night games and speed-it-up because it’s got to be on prime time TV. Sell those ads!

The boys of summer? Not so much anymore.

(Gee, I sound like a curmudgeon, don’t I? Well,then, get off my lawn, you kids!)

Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:39 pm
Maximum two times a pitcher can throw to another base (to hold the runner) per batter. Sometimes it likes watching paint dry.

Comment by Bogey Golfer Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:41 pm
Once you’re in the batters box you stay in the batters box, and once your bat goes above your head you can be pitched at whenever the pitcher has the ball even if you lower your bat for some reason.

My softball league does this and it keeps things moving pretty quickly.

Comment by Not It Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:42 pm
I’ve thought about this a lot actually. One idea: Limit the number of timeouts a team can take per game. That includes the batter stepping out to adjust his Velcro or the catcher and the pitcher getting together…everything. Along with that you’d have to invoke a delay of game on a pitcher who just holds the ball. A more radical idea would be to require a pitcher to pitch to at least 2 batters, but I can see how that would be wildly unpopular. Maybe do something about those 10,12,14 pitch at-bats. Nothing exciting about foul ball after foul ball. Frankly, the intentional walk isn’t the problem and as the video shows can lead to unexpected things. Even wild pitches and balks.

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:42 pm
I’m siding with the “leave it alone” crowd. Train umpires to deny so many called times by pitchers and batters and maybe knock the pace a little that way. But otherwise, leave it be.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:44 pm
Well why don’t we try to change the laws of physics and chess while were at it. Leave the game alone. it will never catch on with the ADD crowd. That’s their loss not ours

Comment by Porgy Tirebiter Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:52 pm
On the auto-walk deal…Maybe just go back to Don Drysdale and put ‘em on base with just ‘one’ pitch. He found it more satisfying, but I’m not sure it saved any time with trainers coming out to escort the batter to 1st base or the nearest hospital.

It’s moot now. But the walk can be filled with great anticipation with some pitchers.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:57 pm
Prudent, I agree, pitching changes can be made from the dugout. However, mound visits can be very important to discuss with pitchers how they feel & discuss strategy in the middle of the inning. So to add on your point, managers should be allowed 1 visit per inning, but should make pitching changes from the dugout.

If the league is really serious about speeding up the game they should seriously consider decreasing the time between innings. Sure, that’s less ad revenue, but if the game is losing fans because of it, it needs to be considered even if it comes at the expense of revenue.

Comment by Get a Job!! Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 1:59 pm
Leave it alone. If anything, ban the intentional walk all together. Make a pitcher pitch. Not only is the rule change a bad idea, the way Rob Manfred is conducting himself is shameful.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:00 pm
“MLB has studied various ways to quicken games.”

They should study how much longer commercial breaks have gotten the past 20 years.

Comment by Nick Name Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:02 pm
For all you traditionalists. In the good old days, batters didn’t wear two batting gloves. Should have kept it the same.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:03 pm
Lots of good suggestions above - best are the “get/keep the batter in the box” ones.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:07 pm
Baseball time is in the hands of the pitchers the more time they take between pitches the more 3-2 counts because of trying to pitch around a hitter the more specialized teams have become for the setup man the closer the lefty vs righty the righty vs lefty etc. and every break in action means a ccommercial, hence Loooong games

Comment by Railrat Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:09 pm
Eliminate wild cards, ALCS/NLCS (and inter-league play) and we’d save a ton of time by having the season over before pumpkins get frosted. Go to 168 games, if you must, but then have a World Series and be done with it–owners should be able to agree to that, given they’d all make more money.

I’m presuming the dugout signal for an intentional walk involves a middle finger. That would be most appropriate, given everything else they’ve done to the game. And don’t get me started on the DH rule…

Comment by Connie Mack Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:10 pm
I’d be fine with longer games! Baseball is what makes baseball special!

Comment by Old Shepherd Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:14 pm
I think it’s wrong to change rules of the sport that have been in place for over a hundred years.

But if they really want to shorten the game, they should institute Little League rules. Six innings would speed things up considerably.

Comment by A Jack Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:20 pm
Make all pitchers work like Mark Buehrle.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:22 pm
“put ‘em on base with just ‘one’ pitch” Of course you can accomplish that with an off-speed curve ball to the middle of the batter’s back and not risk hurting anyone.

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:27 pm
Reduce the time between innings, that is the area that has continued to increase over the years. Gotta have those commercials /s

Comment by Keep Rockin Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:28 pm
Stop allowing managers time to review replay footage before asking for a replay review. 30 seconds after the play happened, continue on. No chance to review after that. It’s ridiculous. I like the replay review but they allow managers way too much time to determine whether or not they want the umps to review it.

Comment by STL Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:32 pm
I know you asked for other time-saving suggestions, but I must rant about this intentional walk change. It is ridiculous.

Comment by illinoised Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:38 pm
Reduce commercials and the amount of time between switching pitchers.

Comment by SKI Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:42 pm
Get rid of batting gloves.

Comment by Finally Out Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:43 pm
Get rid of batting gloves. Baseball fans know what I’m talking about.

Comment by Finally Out (and now very glad to be) Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:44 pm
I agree with the “keep the batter in the box” crowd. Skip Schumaker being the worst offender.

I would eliminate the DH. By having that extra batter instead of the pitcher make AL games much longer than NL games.

I also agree with the 1 trip to the mound by the catcher per pitcher idea. Seriously, what is the difference if Yadi or Matheny visits the mound?

Comment by Big R. Ph Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:46 pm
Leave baseball alone! I will miss the four pitch walk. it’s not just a question of speeding the game up, it’s what the pitcher does, and how the catcher reacts. it’s an interesting part. sorry it’s going.

in addition to cut the commercials (see world football for how to really do a game) please, for the love of god, require that anyone singing the National Anthem not go all “maya rudolph” (parody) on it. you could cut 14 seconds there for many singers!

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 2:49 pm
I don’t support this. I always thought if you wanted to intentionally walk a batter, you should just put on off his thigh. That being said, MLB needs to go to a ticker ad like they use in soccer. The waste of time at a live game is crazy.

Comment by Mark Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 3:02 pm
Keep the batter in the box, and put in a pitch-clock. Similar to the shot-clock in basketball.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 3:17 pm
Once a relief pitcher is brought in he must finish the inning unless taken out for as a result of his being injured.

The parade of relief pitchers by both teams in the latter innings of the game is what slows the pace down.

If a lefty can’t get a righty out and vice-versa he doesn’t belong in the major leagues.

Comment by tabbybum Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 3:23 pm
Remove Pedro Baez from the league. Make the replay system the same as that in the NHL.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 3:36 pm
Leave the game of baseball alone! I love it just the way it is. The only change I possibly could support might be a rule that says a team can have a maximum of two pitchers per inning (barring injury of course). The late inning multiple pitcher changes and warm-ups do often aggravate me and take up an incredible amount of time–sometimes to little obvious result to the game.

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 3:38 pm
1) Enforce the pitch clock.
2) Batters can’t leave batters box during a plate appearance.
3) Limit rosters to 10 pitchers, thus reducing the number of relievers used on any given night.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 3:39 pm
Pitch clock. The minors already does it and it doesn’t affect the feel of the game but still speeds it up dramatically.

Comment by The 647 Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 4:00 pm
Can we ban Joe Buck? Okay, not really a time saving move, but now that the Cubs hit post season, we are exposed to how completely annoying he is.

Comment by FormerStaffer Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 4:20 pm
90 second side-outs max. If they want to show more commercials, let then superimpose them ala soccer.

Comment by a drop in Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 4:31 pm

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