MLB approved two rule changes that will take effect this season, creating a harsher penalty for a team that violates the shift rule and allowing replay officials to determine if a runner “abandoned” a base, according to a report Thursday by The Athletic. The shift rule bars teams from positioning more than two infielders on either side of second base before the pitch is thrown. If an...
It feels like March just started, and yet the end of spring training is fast approaching. However, MLB has begun heavily enforcing the obstruction around the bases rule, and those around the game are less than thrilled about some of the most recent calls and developments that have come about in that regard. Obstruction, as MLB defines it, is imposed when a fielder hinders a baserunner’s...
America’s pastime has had some serious revisions during the 2022-2023 offseason. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, MLB’s Joint Competition Committee has voted unanimously to make the extra inning rule permanent for all regular season games for 2023 and beyond, with post-season games remaining unaffected. The “ghost-runner” rule was added to MLB during the COVID-shortened...
