The American Major League Baseball (MLB) continues to make rapid strides to create a faster and more dynamic baseball. Following the ‘pitch clock’ that forces pitching within 15 seconds, a plan to reduce the number of times you can take your foot off the pitch is reviewed.
MLB.com announced on the 19th (Korean time) that the MLB Secretariat signed an agreement with the Atlantic League to test the new rules from the 2023 season. The independent league, the Atlantic League, has been used as a test bed whenever MLB introduces an adventurous new rule or system in recent years. The ‘pitch clock’ applied to MLB this year also went through the Atlantic League earlier.
Under the new rules that will apply to the Atlantic League, pitchers can only step off the pitch once per at-bat. In the previous rule, it was possible up to two times. Pitchers usually take their feet off the pitch to fight with batters or check runners, but MLB saw that this act could be used as a means of avoiding the pitch clock. When there is a runner, you have to throw the ball within 20 seconds, but if you release your foot in the middle, the countdown is reset.
The somewhat unfamiliar concept of ‘nominated runner’ is also introduced. If you designate a specific player who is not included in the starting list as a substitute runner, it is the key to changing the player and allowing the missing hitter to be replaced in the same game. The purpose is to make the game more exciting by encouraging the use of large runners.
MLB plans to comprehensively examine the impact these rules will have on the Atlantic League as a whole. This is because under the pitching board rules and the designated runner system, all teams are expected to play more actively and score more runs.
The pitch clock introduced first has already led to visible changes. As of the last 10 days (Korean time), the league average batting average rose by 0.016, and the game time was shortened by more than 30 minutes from 3 hours 9 minutes to 2 hours 38 minutes.
Last year, the average game time in Korean professional baseball was 3 hours and 11 minutes based on 9 innings.메이저사이트 This year’s goal is to shorten it to 3 hours and 5 minutes. Even in the domestic league, there is a speed-up regulation that requires pitching within 12 seconds. However, this does not apply when runners are on base.