Changes are coming to the MLB fairly soon, according to league commissioner Rob Manfred. And judging by the early response, fans are OK with his decision.
During a discussion with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday, Manfred said that he will be making a significant change to the way the league handles doubleheaders. It turns out the seven-inning experiment could be coming to an end very soon.
“I don’t think seven-inning doubleheaders are going to be part of our future going forward,” Manfred told the BBWAA.
Seven-inning doubleheaders were put in effect to speed up the pace of the game. However, the MLB might be better off returning to its roots and making all games last at least nine innings.
Rob Manfred: “I don’t think seven-inning doubleheaders are going to be part of our future going forward.”
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 13, 2021
This isn’t the only change that could take place before next season. Manfred told the BBWAA that he doesn’t believe placing a free runner on second base to start each extra inning will be a long-term rule.
Manfred thinks some of these changes, like seven-inning doubleheaders and free runners at the start of extra innings, were put in place in large part because COVID-19 messed up the entire 2020 season.
Manfred said he sees the runner on second in extra innings and seven-inning doubleheaders as rule changes made with Covid in mind and less likely to stick than other recent changes.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) July 13, 2021
Baseball fans are often critical of Manfred and the way he runs the MLB, but it sounds like they’re thrilled with his recent comments.
Do you want to see the MLB return to its original rules?
The post Rob Manfred Hints At 2 Major Rule Changes For MLB appeared first on The Spun.
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