Pace of Play

[jerichoholicninja]

I believe umpires at their discretion can decline time requests by batters, and if they fail to get in the box can call a ball on them? I seem to recall something to that effect several years back when they updated the rules to not allow batters to step out of the box if they didn't swing at a pitch and some other updates? Although I wouldn't want to implement something where an umpire is just calling strikes as a ball because the pitcher took too long, I would be totally on board with:

 

If batter does not enter the box and set up in appropriate amount of time, they are charged with a strike. And, vice versa, if pitcher fails to deliver a pitch in appropriate time they will be charged with a ball. That would speed up the game, and not be a BS thing of calling a ball as a strike or a strike as a ball based on umpires judgement. I'd also like to see umps grant time less often unless there is a pretty obvious reason to grant it, like a bug in the players face or something.

If pitchers work quick, there will be less of the time calling. Most of the time, batters call time because the pitcher is just staring at them instead of throwing the ball. There will still be some gamesmanship by some batters trying to slow down a quick pitchers, but that's when the ump can stop granting time outs by the batter.

 

Pitchers working quicker would probably lead to move timeouts. Batters do it to break up a pitcher's rhythm. They do it all the time to Suter because he gives them no time between pitches.

[MadScientist]

If pitchers work quick, there will be less of the time calling. Most of the time, batters call time because the pitcher is just staring at them instead of throwing the ball. There will still be some gamesmanship by some batters trying to slow down a quick pitchers, but that's when the ump can stop granting time outs by the batter.

 

Pitchers working quicker would probably lead to move timeouts. Batters do it to break up a pitcher's rhythm. They do it all the time to Suter because he gives them no time between pitches.

 

But his game is still substantially faster, so they must not be doing it all that often. If the batters try to abuse it, the umpire should just ignore the timeout request.

[JosephC]

How about some new rules to stop the foolishness that happened last night? Come off the bench in any type of altercation, automatic minimum five game suspension. Leave your position on the field in any type of altercation, automatic three game suspension. Third man into a fight, automatic 10 game suspension even if it seems clear the intent of the third man is to break up a fight (that is the job of the umpires). Obviously if the player is an active participant in a fight, just tack more games onto what the current, standard punishment already is. Both teams empty the bench, every player gets a minimum three game suspension but suspensions are staggered and league-determined so teams can still have a nearly full roster (no more than two suspensions at one time). Personally, I always thought there would be less mound-charging/throwing at batters if the offender knew that he would not have 24 guys backing him up if it came down to a fight. Talk about slowing a game down for no real purpose at all, just look at Votto/Kratz last night. Everybody has to run off the bench and then stand there and stare at each other, talk about a completely unnecessary waste of time.