The independent Atlantic League is implementing rule changes this year in an attempt to address a perennial concern: speeding up baseball games.
We’ve written about the rule changes before; now that the season is imminent, it’s a good time to review them. The York Dispatch’s John Walk has a nice piece on the changes, complete with player and coach reaction:
First, a pitcher will have 12 seconds to deliver his next pitch from the moment he receives the ball. Previously, league rules dictated that pitchers were allowed 20 seconds between pitches, according to Atlantic League chairman Peter Kirk.
Second, only 90 seconds can pass between each half-inning from the moment of the third out to the moment of the next pitch in the following half-inning.
Third, there will be restrictions on the number of mound visits that coaches and players can make to chat with the pitcher.
As we recall, the revamped independent Northern League tried some of the same strategies (we have hazy memories of a pitch clock in Midway Stadium) and ultimately scrapped them. And some folks in affiliated ball perennially push measures to speed up games. Still, it’s worth a shot.
RELATED STORIES: Atlantic League looks at speeding up games
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