That’s right, the lineup would be suspended at least temporarily “to improve excitement.”
One #MLB executive told @richeisen about an idea to improve excitement in the game by allowing managers to put anyone up to bat in the 9th inning if trailing. Good idea or crazy? pic.twitter.com/IgM6Zrofer
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 20, 2018
This isn’t worth getting too worked up about because it won’t happen, but it’s also so absurd it’s hard to ignore outright. (Plus, you know, the click quotas thing.)
The ninth inning is already pretty exciting because, you know, it’s the last inning if one team has the lead when it ends.
The randomness of the batting order is part of the charm. It gives non-stars the chance to play hero, which happens time and again throughout the season.
I'm not against some changes, but this is way too drastic.
ICYMI: Joey Votto says what everyone is thinking about the Reds https://t.co/QYduTe9fW4
— daytonsports (@daytonsports) February 21, 2018
While I view the pace-of-play initiatives as attempts to bring the sport back in line with what people fell in love with probably long ago (it’s only slowed down over the past 10-15 seasons), having one inning in which the rules are different than the others makes no sense.
(I am not a fan of shootouts to decide hockey or soccer games, either. The 3-on-3 hockey overtime has turned out to be fun, but it was also an answer to teams not really treating overtime the same way they did the rest of the game because they just wanted to preserve a point in the standings.)
To me, this would cheapen the overall experience, telling folks the normal way of doing things really is inferior, which then threatens to made the rest of the game less interesting to the casual fan.
That’s not a net gain.
Would Barry Larkin ever manage the Cincinnati Reds? https://t.co/T0xjW2RhFN
— daytonsports (@daytonsports) February 21, 2018
Plus, I’m not sure what it would really accomplish other than temporarily turning one-run games into home run derbies (though only marginally more than they are now).
What about other scenarios?
Sometimes having your best batters come up later in an inning is an advantage, like when you need to construct a multi-run rally.
If the big boppers come up with someone on base already they have the chance to drive in the winning run with a single or a double rather than having to hit the ball out of the ball park, so there are more potential happy outcomes.
Doesn’t that sound exciting?
About the Author