New rule for speeding up play is untraditional, adds strategy
Runner placed on 2nd in extra innings
It’s new, it’s exciting and, yes, it’s controversial.
Minor league baseball’s extrainning experiment — placing a runner on second base to start each half-inning — hasn’t yet come into play at Isotopes Park. Visiting Salt Lake did not require extra frames to pull out an 8-7 win over the ’Topes on Friday.
Opinions are split on the new rule, which was adopted as part of an effort to speed up games. Baseball traditionalists don’t like it and, as one might expect, relief pitchers are not delighted by the prospect of being tagged with a loss if a runner placed at second base happens to score.
“It’s a tough situation for a pitcher,” Isotopes right-hander and Albuquerque native Austin House said. “It’s a quirky rule. I don’t know if any of us really like it.”
On the other hand, the extrainning rule brings additional strategy, execution and increased odds of scoring into play. Isotopes manager Glenallen Hill likes it.
“I like forward progress in the game, forward thinking,” Hill said. “This gives both teams opportunities to work on situational hitting and defense. I like those situations from a player development standpoint. I also think it will be exciting for fans to watch.”
The Isotopes got a taste of the new rule in their fifth game of the season, a 5-4 defeat in 11 innings at Salt Lake. Both teams scored a run in the 10th, but the ’Topes came up empty in the top of the 11th. That put Albuquerque reliever Keith Hessler in a bind in the bottom of the 11th.
“You have to try to hold the runner at second any way you can,” Hessler said. “You kind of have to try for a strikeout because you know a sacrifice bunt and a sac fly can win the game.”
The Bees got exactly that, walking off on Nolan Fontana’s sacrifice fly to right field.
Hessler pointed out that home teams have a considerable advantage in extra innings from knowing whether to play for just one or multiple runs. The visiting team’s result in the top of an extra inning might dictate whether the home team opts to bunt a placed runner to third base or not.
Hill said overall strategy in extra innings is the same as it’s always been.
“You still go for the win on the road, play to tie at home,” he said. “We’ll be a lot more likely to move the runner over if we need one run at home.”
Under the new rule, the hitter who made the final out of the previous inning will be placed at second base. That could occasionally put a power hitter in a position where he’s called upon to bunt. So be it, Hill said.
“We work on bunting every day,” he said. “That should not be a problem.”
Hill believes the new rule is likely to prevent marathon extrainning games, saving wear and tear on pitching staffs. He also believes fans may be more likely to stick around during an extrainning game.
“I’ve managed long games and I played in some in the major leagues,” Hill said. “By the end of the game there are not many people in the stands and the managers have used just about everyone on their benches. (The new rule) might produce better baseball.” House is not so sure. “I feel like you could end up with teams trading runs and still have long games,” he said. “I guess we’re the test dummies, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Neither House nor Hessler see the new rule being implemented at the major league level any time soon. Many baseball purists probably never want to see it happen. Hill begs to differ. “To me the better question is why not?” he said. “If this is moving the game forward and looking after players’ well being, then why not?”