The Major League Baseball lockout over the collective bargaining agreement benefited nobody. After a tiresome 99 days, the MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new deal that included a set of rule changes to be imposed for the 2023 season.
To name a few: adding a pitch clock of 14 seconds with nobody on base and 19 seconds with runners on, enlarged bases, a universal designated hitter and banning the shift.
These rules are a disaster for pitchers, and that’s putting it lightly.
Look, I understand the sentiments behind each of the changes. The MLB wants to transcend to a faster, more upbeat game with higher scoring. High scoring sells, and the league knows they’re losing fans and a labor dispute and delayed start to the regular season isn’t great for PR. It’s also no secret that baseball isn’t nearly as popular with the younger generation and this is intended to take a step in the right direction.
That being said, pitchers are the anchor of the game and should be protected. No hitters, shut-outs, complete games and gems are such an integral part of the game and are an arguably more exciting aspect to the sport than scoring 10 or 15 runs.
The entirety of pitching is based on timing. The introduction of new pitches and grips has always been to throw off a batter’s timing and give the upper hand to the pitcher. The pace of the game has been and should be controlled by a pitcher, and if that makes the game a few minutes longer, so what?
A pitch clock takes away from the pitcher’s ability to be in control and not get set properly. 14 or 19 seconds to get set isn’t egregious or painfully short, but having a timer diminishes part of the art of pitching.
One of the best pitchers in the game in Max Scherzer agrees.
“As players, it just shouldn't be in the game,” Scherzer said in a 2019 interview. “Having a pitch clock, if you have ball-strike implications, that's messing with the fabric of the game. There's no clock in baseball, and there's no clock in baseball for a reason."
Baseball is a game of inches. Stealing bases is incredibly hard and it makes sense for the league to intend to give baserunners an advantage in reaching safely.
But again, this is negative for pitchers. The minor leagues have enlarged bases to 18 inches, up from the previous standard of 15. Larger bases means fewer pickoffs and more surface area for runners to sneak a hand or cleat in, causing less putouts.
Banning the shift is the worst of the proposed rules. It was first introduced in 1941 and has been a key part of planning against hitters. As pitchers continue to improve, hitters have to adjust to beating the shift and going oppo. From a certain perspective, it gives batters an advantage of having an entire portion of the field open, which can easily be broken with a bunt to throw off the defense and leave them guessing at the next at-bat.
Former and current players are heavily against banning the shift, notably former pitcher LaTroy Hawkins and outfielder Mike Cameron.
Pitchers are such an important part of baseball, and more should be done to protect them. Watching them perform is just as much of a show as watching home runs. Pitching is the hardest position in baseball and giving too many advantages to batters takes away from the battle and integrity of the sport.
Christo Siegel is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Christo by tweeting him at @imchristosiegel.
