Six visits, and that’s it
DUNEDIN — Major League Baseball threw Blue Jays manager John Gibbons a bit of a curve on Monday.
MLB announced rules changes for the 2018 season designed to improve the pace of play. Probably the most significant change is a new rule limiting the number of mound visits in a game. Mound visits — without a pitching change — will be limited to six per team, per nine innings with one more in extrainnings play. A trip by a manager, coach or another player to the mound will constitute a mound visit though visits will be allowed in certain situations, including when an offensive substitution is made, when a position player goes to the mound to clean his spikes in rainy conditions and if there is a potential injury to a pitcher.
“I get it. I like a faster-paced game, too, but there might be a little controversy with that until it irons out,” said Gibbons. “But everybody has to live with it.”
MLB has decided to defer the implementation of a pitch timer and a between-batter timer in 2018 in order to provide players with an opportunity to speed up the game without the use of those devices. Gibbons doesn’t believe clocking the time between pitches would be much of a problem because few pitchers would go over an allowed time anyway.
The commissioner’s office also is taking steps to expedite the replay review process and to deter signstealing through the use of electronic equipment.”
When asked if MLB managers were consulted on the changes, Gibbons replied: “Not this manager.”