To speed up the pace of play, MLB introduced a pitch clock and some other new rules last season. Despite initial complaints, players adapted and the average game length dropped from over three hours in 2022 to two hours and 40 minutes in 2023.
While most people seem to have accepted the changes and even gotten used to them, it’s important to remember that baseball is like fashion, and fashion never goes away. And that’s why MLB is now considering new rules for starting pitchers to “restore the importance of the starting pitcher” and somehow reduce pitchers’ chances of getting injured, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The plan? All starters should pitch at least six innings.
Don’t worry, there are exceptions. If a pitcher throws 100 pitches, allows four or more earned runs, or gets injured, he can leave early.
This would require major institutional changes, as teams would have to start developing pitchers to increase their pitch numbers in the minor leagues, and pitchers would have to work on their repertoire to get through a lineup three times. As for injuries, it would make guys focus less on speed and more on endurance. More from ESPN:
“Proponents of a six-inning rule hope the biggest impact would be behind the scenes. The assumption is that pitchers would have to stop relying so heavily on their maximum velocity and focus their training on longer starts rather than overpowering. And in theory, scheduling starters to pitch later in the game could help curb the alarming number of serious arm injuries among pitchers — and give hitters a better chance at bat, too.”
There are a number of other adjustments being considered and nothing is set in stone yet, but this general idea doesn’t sound so far-fetched. It seems that most starting pitchers go to the mound with the goal of pitching the majority of the game while allowing as few hits and runs as possible. Throwing 100 pitches without getting injured sounds pretty good!
It might be years before something like this ever makes it to the big leagues, but it’s worth considering. And that’s exactly what MLB is doing.
