Major League Baseball’s new rules will be clarified ahead of the season openers on March 30, commissioner Rob Manfred said on Tuesday.
Among the alterations made for the 2023 season are implementing time limits between pitches (20 seconds with runners on base, 15 seconds with the bases empty), preventing dramatic defensive shifts and limiting the number of pickoff throws.
“We had a series of clarifications that we’re going to announce shortly, things that have come out of player input conversations that have taken place,” Manfred said. “We have another set of issues that we want to see some regular-season games before we make a decision on them.
“I’ve met with six teams already. Our feet are not in stone this. On one hand, we are prepared to make adjustments based on input; on the other hand, we want to give it a chance to see exactly how it plays out after a period of adjustments in some regular-season games before we make any really significant changes.”
While Manfred did not detail the tweaks, USA Today reported that they will be:
–No warmup tosses allowed in the final 30 seconds of an inning break.
–Baserunners in motion on a pitch will, after a foul ball, be permitted time to return to the previous base.
–Quick pitches will be averted by giving hitters in the batter’s box during the final eight seconds time to get set.
“The clarifications are important in my mind,” Manfred said, “because they are responses to things players said.”
–Field Level Media