All-star Game set to trot out free runners
Picture this, baseball fans. All-star Game tied 4-all Tuesday night at Progressive Field, flamethrower Aroldis Chapman set to face rookie sensation Pete Alonso to start the top of the 10th inning.
But, wait! Before the first pitch, Kris Bryant casually trots from the National League dugout to take a lead off second base.
“Kind of weird,” offered Jeff Mcneil, the majors’ top hitter this year.
Already employed in the minors, the World Baseball Classic and Olympic softball, a new rule takes effect this week in front of a major league audience: Every extra inning in All-star play — top half and bottom — begins with an automatic runner at second.
“Oh, they are doing it?” asked Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, an NL coach. Yes, they are.
The crowd in Cleveland got a glimpse of the future, maybe, on Sunday night when the Futures Game used the rule for an inning. No one scored, and the showcase for young talent wound up in a tie.
Could be timely in the bigs, too. The last two All-star Games both went extras — Robinson Cano hit a leadoff homer in the 10th at Miami in 2017, Alex Bregman did the same last year in Washington.
Plus, there was the 15-inning affair at Yankee Stadium in 2008 and the dreaded 2002 game in Milwaukee that was declared a very unpopular tie after the 11th.
Naturally, in a sport where change comes slowly, not everyone is thrilled with this experiment. To many, instant intentional walks, constant shifts and talk about robot umpires has skewed the game enough.
If it’s any consolation, commissioner Rob Manfred says there are no foreseeable plans to put free runners on base in the regular season.
“I know how people are against it, especially players in the game. Yeah, the tradition is big in this sport, just like a lot of top-tier sports,” Baltimore pitcher John Means said.