I am happy the Astro’s won because I am hoping that my obnoxiously confident Philly fan-boy co-workers will finally STFU about how awesome their team is.
__________ "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
November 06, 2022, 09:40 AM
Blackmore
Not to thread drift, but last night the other Philly team playing for a title lost, too. Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union lost on penalties after being within 2 minutes of winning before allowing an equalizer.
HOUSTON, Texas -- The MLBPA announced Justin Verlander, Mychal Givens, Tommy Pham and Jordan Lyles resolved options in their contract and are now free agents.
Verlander opted out of the last year of his deal with the Houston Astros, which was due to pay him $25 million in 2023. The 39-year-old righty had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022, posting a 1.75 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP, striking out 185 batters in 175 innings over 28 starts for the World Champion Astros. His strong campaign made him a finalist for the Cy Young Award, which will be announced next Wednesday.
The decision to opt out immediately makes Verlander one of the best free-agent pitchers.
Givens hits the market after the Mets declined their end of a mutual option, a decision previously announced by Mets general manager Billy Eppler. Givens will collect a $1.25 million buyout and head into a free-agency. New York acquired Givens at the trade deadline from the Cubs, who signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract in the offseason. Givens had a strong first half with Chicago, posting a 2.26 ERA in 40 2/3 innings but struggled in Queens, with a 4.79 ERA in 20 2/3 innings for the Mets.
For Pham, the Red Sox declined their end of a $12 million mutual option for 2023, giving the outfielder a $1.5 million buyout and sending him into free-agency. Boston traded for Pham at the trade deadline, acquiring the 34-year-old outfielder from the Cincinnati Reds. In 622 plate appearances between the Red Sox and Reds, Pham hit .236/.312/.374.
Lyles becomes a free-agent after the Orioles declined the righty's $11 million club option for 2023, triggering a $1 million buyout. Baltimore signed Lyles to a one-year, $7 million contract in 2022 and in 32 starts, the righty posted a 4.42 ERA with 144 strikeouts in 179 innings, the most on the team.
The 2023 Major League Baseball season brings a wave of rules changes collectively aimed at improving the game’s pace of play and increasing action on the field.
The arrival of the pitch timer, restrictions on defensive shifts and bigger bases makes for one of the more ambitious adaptations to the rule book in the modern era.
So here’s a handy guide to understanding the new rules and why they are being implemented.
What are the new rules? There are three, and we’ll break them down in detailed sections below.
1. Pitch timer: The length of games will still be determined by innings, not minutes. But to create a crisper pace, there will be a 30-second timer between batters and then a shorter time limit between pitches. Pitchers will be required to begin their motion 15 seconds after receiving the ball with the bases empty or 20 seconds after receiving the ball with runners on base. If they don’t, they will be charged with an automatic ball.
Pitchers will also be limited to two disengagements from the mound (i.e. pickoff attempts or step-offs) per plate appearance with a runner on first. The disengagements reset the clock.
Batters, meanwhile, must be in the batter’s box and alert to the pitcher by the 8-second mark on the clock, or else be charged with an automatic strike.
2. Shift restrictions: The defensive team must have a minimum of four players on the infield, with at least two infielders completely on either side of second base. These restrictions are intended to increase the batting average on balls in play, and allow infielders to better showcase their athleticism with great defensive plays.
3. Bigger bases: First, second and third have been expanded from 15 inches on each side to 18 inches on each side, while home plate remains unchanged. The primary reason why the bases are bigger is safety, giving fielders and runners more room to operate without colliding. But the slightly decreased distance between bases could help runners on stolen-base attempts and bang-bang plays.
When do the new rules go into effect? They will be in effect for all of Spring Training to provide an adjustment period before Opening Day of the 2023 season. Umpires have been instructed to begin calling violations with no grace period.
Will they also be enforced during the postseason? Yes.
More detail on each at the link above
The Enemy's gate is down.
February 07, 2023, 07:28 PM
PASig
Just wait until they bring in the extendible power bats!
February 08, 2023, 09:06 AM
Chris Orndorff
Leave the game alone. Who cares if millenials get bored after two innings? Seriously, leave it alone.
__________________
"Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." -Jeff Cooper
February 08, 2023, 12:09 PM
dave7378
I hate the shift, glad to see it gone. You'd think a pro could learn to go the other way, but no. Also, some batters spend way too much time with their damn routine in the batters box, tightening their gloves, stepping out, calling time. I watch a lot of baseball so anything they can do to speed it up works for me.
ALL of that is, or in the case of the shift, was part of the game. The Batter can 'ask' for time, but the Umpire is NOT obligated to call time...Just Sayin'
If Some is Good, and More is Better.....then Too Much, is Just Enough !! Trump 47....Making America Great Again! "May Almighty God bless the United States of America" - parabellum 7/26/20 Live Free or Die!
February 08, 2023, 12:36 PM
dave7378
quote:
Originally posted by nhracecraft: ALL of that is, or in the case of the shift, was part of the game. The Batter can 'ask' for time, but the Umpire is NOT obligated to call time...Just Sayin'
Yeah I know, I've watched baseball my whole life. IMO, those things needed to change. We'll see if it is for better or worse but I have no problems with the changes. Next thing they should do is get rid of the DH, but that will never happen.
Baseball is not only a game of skill, but a game of confidence...As a coach, it's clear that provided the requisite player talent/skill exists, it's basically 95% confidence! The ritual in the batters box, asking for time, the shift, waving off signs by the pitcher, the high inside strike, etc are ALL components of the chess game component of Baseball. They are designed to either interrupt the rhythm of the opposing player (pitcher or batter), or boost their comfort level in order to execute on a particular play/at-bat. All of this affects confidence, positively or negatively, therefore potentially influencing the outcome of the game.
IMO bigger bases and restricting the shift is just plain STUPID...
If Some is Good, and More is Better.....then Too Much, is Just Enough !! Trump 47....Making America Great Again! "May Almighty God bless the United States of America" - parabellum 7/26/20 Live Free or Die!
February 08, 2023, 03:08 PM
ibanda
Ugh. I absolutely hate the idea of putting a clock on baseball. The game was fine for over 100 years without it. That is until TV came along and they had to make room for commercials. Just give the umps the authority to tell the teams to "play ball!"
I have a few SIGs.
February 08, 2023, 06:10 PM
PASig
I am not a sports guy at all and I barely understand how baseball and football work honestly. My eight year old son knows more about it than me now.
I did speak to a good friend of mine, who is a big Phillies fan and sports nut in general and asked him his opinion of this, and he agreed that these were changes that are good and overdue. He said that baseball has gotten way too slow and too long and batters and pitchers both dawdling are slowing the game way down unnecessarily. Games were now 3+ hours long and getting longer.
He pointed out that this concept of the shift change is really nothing new, and that it was something that was done early on in baseball.
February 08, 2023, 08:40 PM
dave7378
quote:
Originally posted by nhracecraft: Baseball is not only a game of skill, but a game of confidence...As a coach, it's clear that provided the requisite player talent/skill exists, it's basically 95% confidence! The ritual in the batters box, asking for time, the shift, waving off signs by the pitcher, the high inside strike, etc are ALL components of the chess game component of Baseball. They are designed to either interrupt the rhythm of the opposing player (pitcher or batter), or boost their comfort level in order to execute on a particular play/at-bat. All of this affects confidence, positively or negatively, therefore potentially influencing the outcome of the game.
IMO bigger bases and restricting the shift is just plain STUPID...
Absolutely fair. I always considered myself a baseball purist. Maybe I'm just getting impatient in my 50's. Maybe TV producers are ruining it. I never mind it when I am in the park, keeping score, watching the "chess game". Perhaps it is having to listen to commentators that just can't shut up and let us watch. To me it is still the best game. I really do hate the shift though
Man, if Batters would just punch one through the uncovered part of the infield on a semi-regular basis, or 'could' bunt, such that it was a actual threat, the shift would be a non-issue. The problem is that 90% of the time, the Batter hits into the Shift...And so defensively, the Shift works!
If Some is Good, and More is Better.....then Too Much, is Just Enough !! Trump 47....Making America Great Again! "May Almighty God bless the United States of America" - parabellum 7/26/20 Live Free or Die!
February 08, 2023, 09:15 PM
dave7378
quote:
Originally posted by nhracecraft: Man, if Batters would just punch one through the uncovered part of the infield on a semi-regular basis, or 'could' bunt, such that it was a actual threat, the shift would be a non-issue. The problem is that 90% of the time, the Batter hits into the Shift...And so defensively, the Shift works!
You'd think they could adapt and go oppy. The lost art of slap hitting.