By Peter Marx
There will be a pitch clock in MLB for the first time, forcing pitchers to throw the ball within 20 seconds with runners on base or 15 seconds with the bases bases empty. Batters must be in the box “alert to the pitcher” with at least eight seconds remaining.
Those defensive shifts with the third basemen playing short right field, and everyone playing out of position are now over.
The bases will be increased by three inches, hoping to induce players to start thinking about stolen bases again, even limiting the number of pick-off attempts by pitchers, instead of resembling a slow-pitch softball game.
Baseball has been experimenting with these changes for years in the minor leagues.
The question is:
Why did it take so long for the dopes who run MLB to make these obvious changes?
Is it possibly that advertisers complained for years and they finally gave in?
