Joel Wilson – Staff Writer

jnw5443@psu.edu

There will be a few new rules implemented in Major League Baseball for the 2023 season. Each rule is designed to enhance the excitement factor of the game or speed up the pace of play. Both have been paramount issues for Commissioner Rob Manfred. 

The first of these new rules concern the size of the bases themselves. Previously, the bases were 15 square inches. Now, they are 18 square inches. The reason the bases have been enlarged is because MLB wants more excitement in their game and adding 3 inches to the base theoretically encourages closer plays at first base as well as an increase in steal attempts. 

The next new rule is the pitch clock. Major League players tend to step out of the box and readjust their gloves between almost every pitch. Pitchers take their time, too, between each pitch. The result of these actions are games that routinely go well beyond 3 hours. With the new pitch clock rules, the pitcher has 15 seconds to deliver the ball if the bases are empty, and 20 seconds if runners are on. There will be a 30 second window for a new batter to come to the plate after his teammate either makes an out or gets on base. Hitters will now be allowed only 1 timeout per plate appearance. If the clock hits zero before the pitcher delivers the ball, a ball will be added to the hitter’s count. If the batter violates any of these rules, a strike will be called on him. 

Managers have been given new guidelines as to when they are allowed to put in a position player to pitch. Under the new rules, position players may only pitch if their team is either trailing by 8 or more runs in the 9th inning or are leading by 10 or more runs in the 9th inning. Position players may also pitch if the game is in extra innings. 

Extra innings are another area of the game that will be different starting this season. Before the pandemic, if the game went over 9 innings, the game simply continued. Now, the player to make the last out the previous inning will be automatically placed at second base. If he scores, the pitcher’s ERA will not be affected. 

How will these rules be accepted? The pitch clock will have some growing pains, but the rule has already been implemented with success in the Minor Leagues. Baseball is famous for being the only major sport without a clock, but that sentiment still stands. The clock does not dictate the length of the game, just how quickly it is played. 

The larger bases will probably cause some controversy with close plays but will overall be a non-issue. 

The new position player pitching rules are ironic because of Manfred’s mission to “make baseball fun.” Position players pitching were never very prominent before these rules, and it was fun when it happened. With the new restrictions, the chances of getting to see something fun and unique at the ballpark have gone down. 

The most agitating and tragic of these rules is the runner on second base to start extra innings. Under the old rules, a pitcher could give up a leadoff single, get the next batter to bounce into a double play, induce a fly out, and be done with the inning. Now, a leadoff single could win the game. Baseball has operated with no “ghost runner” since its development over 150 years ago. To institute such a juvenile rule now is insulting to the tradition of the game. Fans of the game are not happy with the change either. If one were to go to the comment section of a social media post about the ghost runner rule, they would see only overwhelming frustration with Manfred and his unintelligent and unnecessary additions to the game. 

Players will begin their adjustments to the new rules this weekend when the first of the Grapefruit and Cactus League are played.