Friday, February 20, 2015
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is slowly addressing the lagging pace of games.
MLB and the players' association announced an agreement today to enforce the rule requiring a hitter to keep at least one foot in the batter's box in many cases. MLB also will post stadium clocks timing pitching changes and between-inning breaks starting in spring training, and it no longer will require managers to always come onto the field when they request video reviews by umpires.
But the sides limited penalties to warnings and fines, and not automatic balls and strikes. The fines don't start until May 1 and are capped at $500 per offense.
Many of the more-radical ideas experimented with during the Arizona Fall League were not adopted, such as a 20-second clock between pitches, a limitation of pitcher's mound conferences involving catchers and managers, and no-pitch intentional walks.
Still, even the modest changes are too much for players, used to their routines and reluctant to alter them.
"If you rush a hamburger, it's not going to be completely done. There are going to be too many mistakes. You're going to rush the game. It would just be terrible. I don't think there needs to be a time limit," Miami Marlins pitcher Mat Latos said.