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Major League baseball fans, get ready for a close up look from the top step of the dugout. Welcome to the baseball classics podcast covering any season from 1901 to the present. We'll explore exciting pennant races, dive head first, analyzing and even doing some comparisons that are bound to settle an argument or start one up. And now here's your host, Dean Patino. Hello again, everybody. Thanks so much for tuning in to this baseball classics, diamond cast. It's always great to be with you, and I hope that wherever this finds you, you are enjoying a outstanding day. Now in this episode, I'm going to cover every major league baseball rule change since 1901, and what's important about this, why we're doing this diamond cast episode and this featured story, because it's impacted the evolution of play in Major League Baseball. It's impacted the strategy, the skill sets of players, scoring. And then there's one that's been talked about recently that could potentially impact roster construction as well. So we're going to cover that at the end of this episode, but I'm going to walk you through history. We're going to start all the way back in 1901, take you fast forward to the present. And that's what baseball classics does, is that we cover everything from 1901 to present. Alright. So before I dive in, I just want to remind you to head on over to baseball classics.com/diamond, view, to get the latest and greatest of what's happening in Major League Baseball each and every day, fresh new content. You won't find this anywhere else. Sure, you'll find a little bit here, a little bit there, some of it here, some of it there. Are different websites, but we save you all that time, and you won't again find all of this in one place, like what we've done as a free service for you. No login required. You have nothing to lose if you're a baseball fan. Baseball classics.com/diamond, view, let all the other baseball fans you know know about that. You'll do them a favor by doing so. All right, let's get into the rule changes. So there's been over 60 implemented by Major League Baseball since 1901 so all the way back from the early days when pitchers dominated the mound to the modern era of today with home runs and analytics. So these rule changes will be interesting to cover as we walk through them, starting back in 1901 that it's going to really reflect the evolution of baseball and how it's influenced the strategies that teams employ on the field. Yet now some of these rules that we're going to cover will explain which ones were reversed or modified later because they either introduced unintended consequences or were difficult to enforce consistently, or did not achieve the desired effect on the game. So of the 60 plus rule changes since 1901, a whopping 10 of them have been since 2020, we've all seen it right, all these rule changes. It seems like every year there's multiple rule changes coming at us, and a lot of that has to do with the continued advancement of technology. So we at baseball classics. We expect more rule changes to come. We know another one that's right on the horizon, one that we covered recently on the diamond, cast here the electronic or automatic strike zone again, that's going to be incorporated in spring training as a trial in 2025 but look for the regular season to have that as early as 2026 so there's been whispers about another one amongst baseball circles considering a requirement for starting pitchers to pitch at least the first six innings. So we know about these bullpen games that really Tampa started several years ago, and of course, the Dodgers used it throughout the playoffs, including the World Series. That would eliminate these bullpen games. As baseball wants to see starting pitchers go at least six innings, the first six innings now borrowing an injury or something like that. But we'll conclude this episode on that specific topic, because I've got a lot of questions about that. So meanwhile, let's dive in to to these rule changes. And way it's going to work is that I'm going to start 1901, I'm going to explain what the change, the rule change is, and then the reason behind the change. So here we go change number one, all foul balls not caught on the fly counted as strikes until the batter has two strikes. So the reason is to speed up the game by preventing batters from prolonging at bats with multiple foul balls. So you can imagine foul balls. Were not counted as strikes, so they could just fall, you know, hit foul balls after foul balls, and, you know, if they weren't caught on the fly. So anyway, that was the first change, the second change that catchers were compelled to remain continuously under the bat. This is to prevent catchers from moving out of position too early, which could unfairly disadvantage the batter. Now, another one that was modified was the drop third strike rule in 1901 Originally, the batter could reach first base on any drop third strike, regardless of whether there was a run around first well, this rule was modified to prevent batters from reaching first base on a drop third strike if first base was occupied with less than two outs, thereby simplifying the rule and preventing unnecessary complications during the game. So those were the rules in 1901 now we skip ahead to 1903 and there were a couple during the 1903 season. First one, the height of the mound was limited to 15 inches higher than the level of the baselines, and the reason was to standardize the pitcher mound across the league, ensuring consistent Playing Conditions. Because, of course, as that states pitching mounds were different heights, and they wanted, of course, to get that standardized throughout the league. The second rule changed in 1903 the foul strike rule was adopted by the American League, and the reason was to align with the National League and maintain consistency and gameplay rules between the leagues, all right, 1908, so now we skip ahead five years. There were a couple of more changes here. First one is that pitchers were prohibited from soiling a brand new ball that comes into the game. The reason is to improve visibility and safety for batters, ensuring the ball remained clean and easier to see. And the second change was the sacrifice fly rule was adopted. Did you know there was no sacrifice fly rule before that? So the reason was to encourage strategic play by rewarding a batter for advancing a runner with a fly ball out. Now. It was actually repealed in 1931 then reinstated in 1954 and here's the reason it was reinstated. So the sacrifice fly rule, which allowed a batter to not be charged with an at bat when hitting a fly ball that scored a runner from third base was introduced to reward batters for contributing to a run. However, it was repealed in 1931 because it was perceived as unfairly inflating a batter's statistics by not counting the at bat. So the rule was reinstated with the added stipulation that it only applied if the runner scored after the catch, balancing the need to reward a contribution while maintaining statistical integrity. How about that? Okay? 1909, there was another rule change. So you can see, in the first the first 10 years or so of major league baseball history, quite a few changes going on. All right? This change in 1909 the relief pitcher must face at least one batter, and the reason was to prevent matters from constantly switching pitchers meeting without the new pitcher even facing a batter, right? So they're bringing a new pitcher, maybe the other team brings in a pinch hitter, then they take that picture up for even throws them, brings in another pitcher, maybe that team changes their batter. So again, it's a pre longing the game. It kind of reminds you of what, of course, is has happened with relief pitchers in today's game, where they must face at least three batters. So back in 1909 one batter, minimum. Okay. 1910 the rule change, stolen base no longer credited with when another runner in a double steal is thrown out. So you have two runners on the one runner goes to steal, he's thrown out. That other runner was credited with a stolen base Getting There Safely. But that's this rule stopped that. So it was to prevent inflated stolen base statistics and maintain fairness and crediting successful steel. So there you go, 19 one through 1910 there were, let's say, let's count them up, 246789, changes. A lot of changes there. Okay, so now we go from 1910 and we go all the way to 1917 before we get the next rule change, and that was earn, run statistics and deaf and. Positions added to the rules. So the reason was to provide a clearer measure of a pitcher's effectiveness by distinguishing between runs caused by errors and those earned through clean hits. That didn't happen again until 1917 so what does that mean for Christy Matthewson and some of these other pictures early on, Cy Young that that were giving up runs, they were counted unearned runs. Were counted as earn runs. Back then, 1920 now 1920 there was quite a few changes here. So here we go. First change in 1920 all freak deliveries, including the spit ball, were outlawed, and the reason was to standardize pitching techniques and eliminate unfair advantages gained through altered ball movement. Change number two Bach to be called if the pitcher releases the pitch while the catcher is out of his box. The reason to prevent pitchers from delivering pitches when the catcher is not ready, ensuring fair play. Now, it was modified frequently, and particularly in 1988 this was modified the whole Bach situation here, and the modified reason is the Bach rule has seen many changes over the years, particularly during the 1988 season, when Major League Baseball attempted to strictly enforce the Bach rule, leading to an unprecedented number of box called 783 In 1988 compared to 356 in 1987 what a difference there? So more than double from 8788 with the enforcement. So it was eventually relaxed due to widespread confusion and frustration among players, managers and umpires. The rule was later modified to provide clearer guidelines for what constituted a Bucha. You may remember that back in 1988 when there were so many Bach calls, and of course, the teams were going crazy. Pitchers were so frustrated with this. All right, so that's the second change that happened in 1920 and the third one was the failure of a preceding runner to touch a base would not affect the status of a succeeding runner, and the reason was to clarify the rules around base running and prevent confusion in scoring plays. There were more, though, there's more changes in 1920 there was just a slope. Let's see it's kind of up here. We got 3456, total changes. So let's go to change number four, the batter was given credit for a home run in the last of the ninth inning if the winning run was on base when the ball was hit out of the field. The reason was to properly credit a batter for hitting a home runs that ends the game reflecting their actual performance. So again, how many batters hit a home run, a walk off home run, if you will, and then get credit for that prior to 1920 here's another change, the fifth change in 1920 the number of runs batted in RBIs were to be included in the official score To recognize the batter's contribution to scoring runs, which became an essential statistic for evaluating players. How about that? RBIs are not officially included in the official score until 1920 and last but not least, the six rule change frivolous ninth inning uncontested steals in one sided games were to be scored as defensive and different. So you've, you've heard this, you've seen this throughout the, you know, throughout the years, where a runner is not being held on base. And it's a called an indifference, indifference. Well, this is where it started, in 1920 so the reason is to avoid our Fit artificially inflating steel statistics in situations where the defense is not attempting to prevent the steel now, in the later years, it was repealed, and the reason was that the rule was introduced to prevent players from padding their stats with uncontested steals and one sided games. However, it was later dropped due to its subjective nature, which led to inconsistencies and how it was applied and criticized for its impact on the statistical record. But now we know, of course, in today's, today's day and age of Major League Baseball, it is a part of the rules, all right. 1925, one change there the minimum home run distance was set at 250 feet. That was a minimum home run distance. It was official rule to standardize ballpark dimensions and ensure fairness across different playing fields. Really interesting back through. To, I would say at least the the 1950s 1960s maybe, but surely, 1950s and prior, the different dimensions out there for Baseball, baseball parks now, baseball classics, we have introduced and brought our real time ballparks, which is currently one of our our best sellers. It's out of stock right now. We're going to bring it back in a little while, but we have all the different ballpark dimensions within real time ballpark. So it was really interesting to see the different dimensions out there and and how these teams played major league baseball in these stadiums with these crazy outfield dimensions that they had. So this change, of course, was the standardized ballpark dimensions and ensure fairness across different playing fields. Now it was repealed shortly after implementation. The specific dates unclear when it was repealed, but the repealed reason was the rule set a minimum distance of 250 feet for a home run intended to standardize the dimensions of ballparks. However, it was quickly abandoned because it did not account for the very dimensions of existing ballparks, particularly in older, smaller parks where hitting a ball 250 feet was relatively easy. This rule was seen as unrealistic and potentially distorting the game leading to its repeal. Can you imagine, in today's world, or even you know, over the recent decades, that some ballparks might have their walls only 250 feet out for a home run, how what the stats would have been like it had that happen? So it's good thing they repealed that. All right, we go to the next year, 1926 two changes. One was a pitcher allowed to use a rosin bag for the first time 1926 to give the pitchers a legal means of improving their grip on the ball, especially in adverse weather conditions. So 1926 also. 1926 is sacrifice hit is awarded when any runner advances on a fly out. So the reason was to encourage strategic hitting that advances runners even when the batter makes an out. So that takes us through the 1920s now we head into the 1930s and there was only one season where they incorporated rule changes in the 1930s it was the 1931 season. There were four changes. Change number one, balls that bounce over the fence entitled the batter to two bases. Because you probably are familiar with this back in the day, if it bounced over the fence, it was considered a home run. So this was the again, to clarify the ruling for balls that bounce out, ensuring consistency and awarding bases change number two, balls hit over the fence are to be ruled fair or foul based on where they are when they leave the field. So the reason was to standardize the criteria for judging home runs, ensuring fairness in calls. So of course, you know, eventually that's just where the fall polls came in, and that helped clarify all of that. Change number three in 1931 sacrifice flies were eliminated to simplify scoring and reduce emphasis on flouts that advanced runners. Wow, how about that? And then the last change in 1931 regulations referring to a batter contacting his own ball were clarified, as was the area of bases awarded a batter when a defensive player threw his glove at a bat or thrown ball, or in the case of spectator interference. So this is to clarify ambiguous situations in the rules and ensure fair play. Okay, let's go to 1950 so that last one's kind of funny, if they had to put a rule in for that 1950 the home team must bat second. 19 five zero. Can you believe that it wasn't until 1950 that this was an actual rule by Major League Baseball, and this is, of course, the standardized the batting order across the league, ensuring that the home team always has the final chance to score 1950 there were other changes in 1950 there were four others. Change. Number two, the mound b must be 15 inches high, and that's to standardize the height of the pictures mount, ensuring consistent Playing Conditions. Change. Number three, rules for determining winning and losing picture were established so to formalize the criteria for crediting pictures with wins or losses, providing consistency in pitching statistics and change number four in 1950 the size of the first baseman's glove was regulated, and this is, of course, the standardized equipment to prevent an unfair advantage gained through oversized gloves. And. On change number five, the strike zone redefine to and from the armpits to the top of the knees, to standardize the strike zone and ensure consistent calling by umpire. So that was all in 1950 and we move forward to 1953 there was just one change, and that is, players were to remove their gloves from the field, and this is in 1954 when batting and no equipment was to show on the field at any time. So this rule change was brought about 1953 but not started until 1954 to prevent distraction and ensure the playing field is clear and safe. So again, can't leave your gloves on the field when you're when you're when you're playing, all right, 1954 so this change is a defensive interference. Was changed from an offense solely by a catcher to one by a fielder as well. So you could have a defensive interference, of course, not just by the catcher, but by the fielders, and that's to clarifying the rules to ensure fair play by holding all fielders accountable for interference. Change number two in 1954 no fielder could take a position in line with a batter's vision with the deliberate intent in any way to distract the batter. So this, of course, the reason was prevent fielders from unfairly distracting the batter, ensuring a fair hitting environment and change. Three in 1954 the sacrifice fly rule was brought back, this time with the man scoring after the catch only to incur and this was to encourage strategic fly balls that advance runners and score runs even when the batter makes an out. And last but not least, 1959 one more change for the 50s, and that is, regulations were set up for minimum boundaries for all new parks. 325, feet to left field, 400 feet to center field. 325, for right field, and that's the standardized ballpark dimensions, ensuring consistency and fairness across different playing fields. So again, the minimum boundaries for all new parks, 325, feet, 400 feet and 325, feet from left center to right. Okay, now we move forward to the 1960s and in 1963 we had one rule change, that's the strike zone. It was enlarged to from the top of the shoulders to the knees, the top of the shoulders. So the reason was to give pitchers a larger target, potentially reducing offense and bringing balance between pitching and hitting. On 1965 there was a change, the size of the catcher's mitt was regulated to standardize equipment and prevent catchers from using oversized mitts to gain an unfair advantage. In 1968 another change, the anti spit ball rule was rewritten and tightened up because of the wave of moistened pitches that floated towards the plate the prior season. So the reason is to crack down on these illegal pictures that altered the ball's movement in unpredictable ways, ensuring fair play. And in 1969 there were three changes. The first one, the pitcher's mound, was dropped five inches. So 1968 was considered the year of the pitcher. So 1969 to rectify that, they wanted to reduce pitcher dominance and increase offensive production. Since it was a historically low scoring season in 1968 change number two, the strike zone was shrunken to the area from the armpits to the top of the batter's knee. So it's interesting just you know, not too much later, after they made that initial strike zone change. And there were a number of strike zone changes throughout the decades, but they changed it back in 1969 to get some more offense. And then the third rule change was the Save rule was added to the official rules for the first time. So this is to formalize the role of relief pitchers, particularly closers, and provide a statistic to measure their effectiveness. I saw the other day somebody was recommending that, as the Cy Young Award was being introduced, that they should have a closer award, or maybe even just, let's just say, relief pitcher award, separate from the Cy Young, so that way a pitcher could win both, which has happened. We've seen, of course, relief pitchers win the Cy Young, but in this case, there's suggesting that you add that to the award category, since, especially since, of course, relief pitching is such a key part these days in Major League Baseball. All right now we're in the 1970s and. 1970s we had a number of changes. So 1971 all major league players were ordered to wear protective helmets. So of course, the reason was to improve player safety and reduce the risk of head injuries from pitched balls. 1973 two changes. Number one, the rule on glove size and color was was minutely outlined for standardization. So this was to prevent players from using oversized or distracting gloves, ensuring fairness in Fielding. And change number two, the American League began using, as you know, the designated hitter for pictures on an experimental basis. It's been quite the experiment since 1973 is it's no longer that. Of course, it's now fully incorporated. So of course, this was to increase offensive production and prolong the careers of veteran hit hitters who could no longer field effectively. Are you in favor of the designated hitter role? You're more of a traditionalist, I want to see the batter's pitch and of course, with the for the strategy that's involved with that. So be interesting to hear from you. You can write me a dean at baseball classics.com about the DH rule? Okay? 1974 the Save rule was rewritten, and the reason is to redefine the criteria for awarding saves, ensuring that the statistic accurately reflected a pitcher's effectiveness in preserving a lead. So that was that change, and then change number two and I 74 is minimum standards for individual championships were outlined so and that was to establish clear criteria for awarding batting titles and other individual honors, ensuring fairness and player evaluations. So that was 1974 1975 there were three changes. It seems like when these changes came, they just came in droves. And then they, you know, were relaxed for a bit, then they came in droves again. So 1975 three changes. Change number one, the ball was permitted to be covered with COVID because of the shortage of horses, the reason to address the material shortage of horse side for baseballs and maintain the production and supply of baseballs. Change number two, suspension for three days became mandatory if a batter were to hit a fair ball with a filled, doctored or flat surfaced bat. The reason was, of course, to discourage cheating and maintain the integrity of the game by penalizing players who altered their bats for unfair advantages. And then in 1975 the current save rule was adopted to formalize and standardize the criteria for awarding saves, making the statistic more meaningful and accurate for evaluating relief pitchers. Okay, one more in 1970s Hang in there, and then we'll, we'll, we're going to move quickly through some of these other ones. 1978 the pitcher can't throw at a batter. Rule, how about that one? This is to reduce reduce the risk of injury and promote safety by discouraging pitchers from intentionally throwing at batters. Up till 1978 you could wail away and just hurl it at batters intentionally, without any repercussion. But of course, now we know there's warnings, or you're just tossed out completely if you're caught doing this intentionally. So. But fascinating, it was until 1978 All right, now we fast forward through the 80s, all the way up to 1988 for just one role change throughout the entire 1980s decade, and that is that catchers must wear protective helmets while on defense, and the reason is to enhance player safety and reduce the risk of head injuries for catchers during play, that was it in the 80s. In the 90s, no changes in the 2000s we only have one, 2008 major league baseball as limited instant replay for home run calls, fair or foul. The reason, of course, to increase the accuracy of crucial game decisions by allowing umpires to review, review and correct potential errors on home run and boundary calls. That's it. So really, from 1988 through all the way up, we'd go all the way up to 2014 we had, let's say, from 1989 to 2013 we had just one rule change. Now we start to pick things up a bit here. On the rule change front 2014 the rule change was runners attempting to score may not deviate from their direct pathway to the plate to initiate contact with the catcher. Catchers cannot block the plate without possession of the ball. How about this? You know, growing up for me and to many of you listening, I'm sure the way it was, is that you were a catcher, you were taught to block the plate. That's what you had to do. Two without the ball, of course, and then when you get the ball, you you know you're already blocking the plate to help prevent that runner from touching it. But 2014 can't do that major league baseball, and that, of course, was to protect players from collisions at home plate, reduce injuries and encourage safer play. 2016 the change was slides on potential double plays will require base runners to make a bonafide attempt to reach and remain on base. So the reason is to reduce dangerous slide tactics and protect infielders from injury while ensuring that runners attempt to reach the base legitimately. Of course, we all know about different injuries that have taken place over the years with with runners really coming after these either shortstop or second baseman getting a double play throw, and they're so vulnerable in a lot of those situations, and these runners are barely down. They just take them out. So it reminds me of, you know, football with punters, right? You hear the high leg kick, they're vulnerable. So you can't run into the kicker, and if you do, it's a penalty. So Major League Baseball caught on to that finally, but it took until 2016 to incorporate a similar type of role. 2017 this changes. Pitchers no longer required to throw four intentional balls to walk a batter. Managers may now ask the umpire to let their batter go to first base. The reason was to speed up the game by eliminating the need for the time consuming process of throwing four pitches during an intentional walk. I don't know about you, but I was bummed to see this one go, because it was always interesting to see somebody act like they were going to intentionally walk a batter and then throw a strike on them anyway. So 2017 that went away. All right. Now we're into 2020 where we have, again, a bunch of rule changes that have come about. So rule change number one in 2020 there were two pitcher must face a minimum of three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half inning. And the reason is, of course, speed up the pace of play. We know that was a big deal starting 2020 all this pace of play stuff by reducing the frequency of pitching changes, which often prolong games change number two in 2020 was the temporary COVID 19 pandemic rules added for a shortened season. So they were as follows, extra inning runner on second base, automatically. Seven inning double headers. The postseason expands to 16 teams, universal DH, designated hitter. And the reason was, these rules were implemented to adjust for the shortened 2020, season due to the COVID 19 pandemic, aiming to complete games more quickly and reduce the strain on players and teams. Well, let's, let's pause here for just a moment. So the extra inning runner on second base automatically. It's 2024 that still goes on. So so much for doing that. Only during this shortened season, seven inning double headers. You really don't even see double headers anymore, unless it's a makeup game, but if it is, you've got these seven inning double headers. So that's to me as more of a on the traditionalist side. I mean, I do like to see the technology advancements take advantage. So I'm kind of a hybrid guy on that. But seven inning double headers, not a fan of that postseason expanded to 16 teams. We know that that, you know, is a little bit different. But they did add, you know, in the wild cards and such a universal DH, well, we know that that's here to stay as well. So these supposed temporary changes, rule changes really were permanent role changes. They were just kind of to me, they were just used 2020, in the shortened season as a reason to kind of just force all those in there at that time, and then, of course, keep them in now we go to 2022 the change here was the draft lottery implemented to discourage tanking. So of course, lot of teams doing that right, we're just going to lose out. Who cares? We want a great draft pick. So of course, it was to discourage teams from intentionally losing games to secure higher draft picks, thereby promoting competitive integrity. This really burns teams like the White Sox, who had just, of course, the worst season in major league baseball history in 2024 so instead of them getting the number one pick, because the way the rules are with the draft lottery, the highest pick they can get in 2025 I think the highest they could get is the 10th pick. That's it. So even though they had this lousy season, they're not going to really benefit from it. So I do like that. I think that that's good to keep these teams so they have to remain competitive. Yeah, because they're not going to benefit just by just by tanking. Change number two, the National League officially adopts the DH. So the reason was great uniformity between the American League and national leagues and increase offensive production by having the DH in place of a pitcher. I know there's been a lot of controversy about that one since it was first incorporated back in the 1973 season, and then changed number three in 2022 the postseason expands to 12 teams, so to provide more teams with the opportunity to compete in the playoffs, increasing fan engagement and revenue. You know, baseball, of course, for a long, long time where the was the only major sport that really have these pennant winning teams get into the World Series, and that was it. But really, I mean, baseball had to expand the number of teams that get in the postseason, certainly from a revenue perspective, to keep up with some of the other major sports. They just had to do it so it made sense, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more. It has really been fun to watch and see how they've incorporated. I think it's been well done, all right, 2023 so we have five changes that took place in 2023 so the bases were increased in size from 15 to 18 inches to here's the reason to reduce the risk of injury by giving players more space to avoid collisions and improve player safety. I don't really know that I buy that one, but Okay, next change defensive shifts are banned. Reason is to increase offensive production and ensure that more batter balls resort result and hits by preventing extreme defensive positioning. At first, I was a little torn about this one, because, you know, if a batter can't pull or can only pull a baseball, well, you know, got to learn to hit to the opposite field and let the fielders then defend them. If we're, he typically hits the ball. But then again, I think about, you know, other sports, you do have to have players in certain parts of the field of play. So, you know, I'm, I'm warming up to that one. The next change is the extra inning runner on second base. This, again, was from those 2020 temporary roles made permanent to expedite the conclusion of extra inning games and reduce the duration of extended play. I am not in favor of this at all, and I'm going to cover this on an upcoming episode about these ghost runners and explain how Major League Baseball can fix it. So that's coming up in an episode in the near future, another change, the fourth change in 2023 pitch clocks will be used so to speed up the pace of the game by limiting the time pitchers have between pitches, reducing downtime and shortening game lanes. I'm not a fan of the pitch clock. I don't like the pitch clock. I don't like see clocks in baseball, but I know that's going to be here to stay. There are many other ways that baseball could have if pace of play was the the issue here many other ways that they could have increased the pace of play without having a pitch clock. Perhaps I will cover that on another upcoming episode, because again, on this this diamond cast, we like to cover controversial topics as well and just tell it like it is all right. Change number five in 2023 pictures are allowed to disengagements per plate appearance without penalty. Reason is to limit the number of pick off attempts and keep the game moving while still allowing pitchers some flexibility in controlling the running game. Again, I'm not in favor this one either. So not my favorite one. But again, this is probably here to stay as well. All right, so of the past Major League Baseball rule changes since 2020, 40% of them impacted the pitcher. The major league baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, this past summer declared that the electronic strike zone, as we know, will begin tested in spring training. 2025, now let's talk about the whispers of this other potential major league baseball rule change that's aimed at pitchers who start a game that must go at least six innings, barring some kind of various other parameters, like injury and such. So I have some questions about this, and I wonder if you do too, and I would think that many major league baseball fans would so this will clearly have an impact on every team's roster construction. So again, at this point, again, there's nothing concrete that this is going to happen. But you know, the way that things have been with the pace of play, it wouldn't surprise me if they start. To test this out at some point. Here's my questions about it. They're going to do this again, and that is to to force pitchers, starting pitchers, to go at least six innings. Now, by the way, I'm all for starting pitchers pitching complete games and shutouts, just like you know so many of the greats have throughout major league baseball history. I'm all for that, just I'm not a fan of the forcing stuff like this. So here's my questions, could it be the number of pitchers on a roster is governed from 13 until September to more or less? So what about a two way player? Would a two player, two way player be considered one of those pitchers. Like, what about showtani? Is he gonna be considered on the roster as a starting pitcher or not? So then they have to, you know, consider him on the roster in the pitcher spot, or is he really more in the batter's category for the roster construction, and what if the unintended consequence is more injuries to starting pitchers? How long before they change the rule? I mean, how do they know for sure that this isn't gonna just put undue strain on starting pitchers? And of course, it's gonna take some time, because, again, a lot of pictures have not been accustomed to going really much beyond five innings, so we have to stretch these guys out. It's gonna take some time to it now. Again, I'm all for it. I just don't like the forcing part of it, the six inning requirement, all right, so with the emphasis on starting pitchers will more bullpen pitchers want to do all they can to become starting pitchers to earn more. Is that what's going to happen? So now the bullpen pitchers that were really good, they want to become starters so they can earn more money. And now what happens to the bullpen? You're going to have a bunch of bullpen guys that aren't very good, if so many of these guys want to be starters, and what do they do there? What if you What are you going to have six, seven starters on a on a team now, instead of maybe five or four, like back in the day? And then last question is, will this widen the gap between big market teams which can afford expensive, high quality starting pitchers, more than smaller market teams that can so what about that? They're going to go after these. You know, the best starters these teams in large markets go, bring them and their staff these smaller market teams can't afford them. Then what now? I do have a solution for that that's going to come up on Thursdays diamond cast. So you want to tune into that. That one is going to be, again, something that I really don't and haven't seen talked about hardly at all in Major League Baseball, but I'm going to bring it up. So we're going to talk about that on Thursday's episode. So should, in your opinion, should Major League Baseball implement a six inning minimum starting pitcher requirement asking? Of course, they're gonna be asking starters to throw longer than most of them are used to. Again, some are workhorses, and they're okay, but, but again, many are not. So here's some stats for you, as you consider that question, the average innings pitch per start was down to approximately 4.73 innings pitched Since 2020 so again, starting pictures not even averaging five innings per start. So that's a significant decrease from the earlier years, even only, such as 2015 when the average was about 5.72 innings. So just over that five year period, pitchers have lost a full inning of of how long they can survive pitching in a game for whatever the reasons are, and probably it pitch count for the most part, these for the starting pitchers. So now Major League Baseball seeing it go from 2015 to 5.72 innings to 2020 going down to 4.73 innings. I don't have the numbers yet for the this past season of 2024 but I doubt it's it's changed much from the 4.73 innings now you're gonna ask him to go up to six innings minimum. What's that? What's gonna happen to Major League Baseball if you were to do that? So we'll see what happens, of course. But there's one thing for sure about this if it were to happen that there's plenty of pitchers back in the day who loved hurling all nine innings every chance they got, so maybe baseball will get back to that. But what would be unfortunate about it is that they had to be forced into it, if you will, as opposed to letting them. Their talent and their their conditioning and their their motion, which you talked about again, another recent diamond cast episode. Let that be the reason why they're going longer into the game. So all right, well, thanks for tuning in. That's a wrap for this baseball classics diamond cast about major league rule changes that have taken place since 1901 all the way to present. We'll see what 2025 has to bring us, besides the automatic strike zone for spring training, which I am a fan of. So we'll see you on the next baseball classics diamond class with another feature story, and until then, I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day. Bye.
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Major League baseball fans, get ready for a close up look from the top step of the dugout. Welcome to the baseball classics podcast covering any season from 1901 to the present. We'll explore exciting pennant races, dive head first, analyzing and even doing some comparisons that are bound to settle an argument or start one up. And now here's your host, Dean Patino. Hello again, everybody. Thanks so much for tuning in to this baseball classics, diamond cast. It's always great to be with you, and I hope that wherever this finds you, you are enjoying a outstanding day. Now in this episode, I'm going to cover every major league baseball rule change since 1901, and what's important about this, why we're doing this diamond cast episode and this featured story, because it's impacted the evolution of play in Major League Baseball. It's impacted the strategy, the skill sets of players, scoring. And then there's one that's been talked about recently that could potentially impact roster construction as well. So we're going to cover that at the end of this episode, but I'm going to walk you through history. We're going to start all the way back in 1901, take you fast forward to the present. And that's what baseball classics does, is that we cover everything from 1901 to present. Alright. So before I dive in, I just want to remind you to head on over to baseball classics.com/diamond, view, to get the latest and greatest of what's happening in Major League Baseball each and every day, fresh new content. You won't find this anywhere else. Sure, you'll find a little bit here, a little bit there, some of it here, some of it there. Are different websites, but we save you all that time, and you won't again find all of this in one place, like what we've done as a free service for you. No login required. You have nothing to lose if you're a baseball fan. Baseball classics.com/diamond, view, let all the other baseball fans you know know about that. You'll do them a favor by doing so. All right, let's get into the rule changes. So there's been over 60 implemented by Major League Baseball since 1901 so all the way back from the early days when pitchers dominated the mound to the modern era of today with home runs and analytics. So these rule changes will be interesting to cover as we walk through them, starting back in 1901 that it's going to really reflect the evolution of baseball and how it's influenced the strategies that teams employ on the field. Yet now some of these rules that we're going to cover will explain which ones were reversed or modified later because they either introduced unintended consequences or were difficult to enforce consistently, or did not achieve the desired effect on the game. So of the 60 plus rule changes since 1901, a whopping 10 of them have been since 2020, we've all seen it right, all these rule changes. It seems like every year there's multiple rule changes coming at us, and a lot of that has to do with the continued advancement of technology. So we at baseball classics. We expect more rule changes to come. We know another one that's right on the horizon, one that we covered recently on the diamond, cast here the electronic or automatic strike zone again, that's going to be incorporated in spring training as a trial in 2025 but look for the regular season to have that as early as 2026 so there's been whispers about another one amongst baseball circles considering a requirement for starting pitchers to pitch at least the first six innings. So we know about these bullpen games that really Tampa started several years ago, and of course, the Dodgers used it throughout the playoffs, including the World Series. That would eliminate these bullpen games. As baseball wants to see starting pitchers go at least six innings, the first six innings now borrowing an injury or something like that. But we'll conclude this episode on that specific topic, because I've got a lot of questions about that. So meanwhile, let's dive in to to these rule changes. And way it's going to work is that I'm going to start 1901, I'm going to explain what the change, the rule change is, and then the reason behind the change. So here we go change number one, all foul balls not caught on the fly counted as strikes until the batter has two strikes. So the reason is to speed up the game by preventing batters from prolonging at bats with multiple foul balls. So you can imagine foul balls. Were not counted as strikes, so they could just fall, you know, hit foul balls after foul balls, and, you know, if they weren't caught on the fly. So anyway, that was the first change, the second change that catchers were compelled to remain continuously under the bat. This is to prevent catchers from moving out of position too early, which could unfairly disadvantage the batter. Now, another one that was modified was the drop third strike rule in 1901 Originally, the batter could reach first base on any drop third strike, regardless of whether there was a run around first well, this rule was modified to prevent batters from reaching first base on a drop third strike if first base was occupied with less than two outs, thereby simplifying the rule and preventing unnecessary complications during the game. So those were the rules in 1901 now we skip ahead to 1903 and there were a couple during the 1903 season. First one, the height of the mound was limited to 15 inches higher than the level of the baselines, and the reason was to standardize the pitcher mound across the league, ensuring consistent Playing Conditions. Because, of course, as that states pitching mounds were different heights, and they wanted, of course, to get that standardized throughout the league. The second rule changed in 1903 the foul strike rule was adopted by the American League, and the reason was to align with the National League and maintain consistency and gameplay rules between the leagues, all right, 1908, so now we skip ahead five years. There were a couple of more changes here. First one is that pitchers were prohibited from soiling a brand new ball that comes into the game. The reason is to improve visibility and safety for batters, ensuring the ball remained clean and easier to see. And the second change was the sacrifice fly rule was adopted. Did you know there was no sacrifice fly rule before that? So the reason was to encourage strategic play by rewarding a batter for advancing a runner with a fly ball out. Now. It was actually repealed in 1931 then reinstated in 1954 and here's the reason it was reinstated. So the sacrifice fly rule, which allowed a batter to not be charged with an at bat when hitting a fly ball that scored a runner from third base was introduced to reward batters for contributing to a run. However, it was repealed in 1931 because it was perceived as unfairly inflating a batter's statistics by not counting the at bat. So the rule was reinstated with the added stipulation that it only applied if the runner scored after the catch, balancing the need to reward a contribution while maintaining statistical integrity. How about that? Okay? 1909, there was another rule change. So you can see, in the first the first 10 years or so of major league baseball history, quite a few changes going on. All right? This change in 1909 the relief pitcher must face at least one batter, and the reason was to prevent matters from constantly switching pitchers meeting without the new pitcher even facing a batter, right? So they're bringing a new pitcher, maybe the other team brings in a pinch hitter, then they take that picture up for even throws them, brings in another pitcher, maybe that team changes their batter. So again, it's a pre longing the game. It kind of reminds you of what, of course, is has happened with relief pitchers in today's game, where they must face at least three batters. So back in 1909 one batter, minimum. Okay. 1910 the rule change, stolen base no longer credited with when another runner in a double steal is thrown out. So you have two runners on the one runner goes to steal, he's thrown out. That other runner was credited with a stolen base Getting There Safely. But that's this rule stopped that. So it was to prevent inflated stolen base statistics and maintain fairness and crediting successful steel. So there you go, 19 one through 1910 there were, let's say, let's count them up, 246789, changes. A lot of changes there. Okay, so now we go from 1910 and we go all the way to 1917 before we get the next rule change, and that was earn, run statistics and deaf and. Positions added to the rules. So the reason was to provide a clearer measure of a pitcher's effectiveness by distinguishing between runs caused by errors and those earned through clean hits. That didn't happen again until 1917 so what does that mean for Christy Matthewson and some of these other pictures early on, Cy Young that that were giving up runs, they were counted unearned runs. Were counted as earn runs. Back then, 1920 now 1920 there was quite a few changes here. So here we go. First change in 1920 all freak deliveries, including the spit ball, were outlawed, and the reason was to standardize pitching techniques and eliminate unfair advantages gained through altered ball movement. Change number two Bach to be called if the pitcher releases the pitch while the catcher is out of his box. The reason to prevent pitchers from delivering pitches when the catcher is not ready, ensuring fair play. Now, it was modified frequently, and particularly in 1988 this was modified the whole Bach situation here, and the modified reason is the Bach rule has seen many changes over the years, particularly during the 1988 season, when Major League Baseball attempted to strictly enforce the Bach rule, leading to an unprecedented number of box called 783 In 1988 compared to 356 in 1987 what a difference there? So more than double from 8788 with the enforcement. So it was eventually relaxed due to widespread confusion and frustration among players, managers and umpires. The rule was later modified to provide clearer guidelines for what constituted a Bucha. You may remember that back in 1988 when there were so many Bach calls, and of course, the teams were going crazy. Pitchers were so frustrated with this. All right, so that's the second change that happened in 1920 and the third one was the failure of a preceding runner to touch a base would not affect the status of a succeeding runner, and the reason was to clarify the rules around base running and prevent confusion in scoring plays. There were more, though, there's more changes in 1920 there was just a slope. Let's see it's kind of up here. We got 3456, total changes. So let's go to change number four, the batter was given credit for a home run in the last of the ninth inning if the winning run was on base when the ball was hit out of the field. The reason was to properly credit a batter for hitting a home runs that ends the game reflecting their actual performance. So again, how many batters hit a home run, a walk off home run, if you will, and then get credit for that prior to 1920 here's another change, the fifth change in 1920 the number of runs batted in RBIs were to be included in the official score To recognize the batter's contribution to scoring runs, which became an essential statistic for evaluating players. How about that? RBIs are not officially included in the official score until 1920 and last but not least, the six rule change frivolous ninth inning uncontested steals in one sided games were to be scored as defensive and different. So you've, you've heard this, you've seen this throughout the, you know, throughout the years, where a runner is not being held on base. And it's a called an indifference, indifference. Well, this is where it started, in 1920 so the reason is to avoid our Fit artificially inflating steel statistics in situations where the defense is not attempting to prevent the steel now, in the later years, it was repealed, and the reason was that the rule was introduced to prevent players from padding their stats with uncontested steals and one sided games. However, it was later dropped due to its subjective nature, which led to inconsistencies and how it was applied and criticized for its impact on the statistical record. But now we know, of course, in today's, today's day and age of Major League Baseball, it is a part of the rules, all right. 1925, one change there the minimum home run distance was set at 250 feet. That was a minimum home run distance. It was official rule to standardize ballpark dimensions and ensure fairness across different playing fields. Really interesting back through. To, I would say at least the the 1950s 1960s maybe, but surely, 1950s and prior, the different dimensions out there for Baseball, baseball parks now, baseball classics, we have introduced and brought our real time ballparks, which is currently one of our our best sellers. It's out of stock right now. We're going to bring it back in a little while, but we have all the different ballpark dimensions within real time ballpark. So it was really interesting to see the different dimensions out there and and how these teams played major league baseball in these stadiums with these crazy outfield dimensions that they had. So this change, of course, was the standardized ballpark dimensions and ensure fairness across different playing fields. Now it was repealed shortly after implementation. The specific dates unclear when it was repealed, but the repealed reason was the rule set a minimum distance of 250 feet for a home run intended to standardize the dimensions of ballparks. However, it was quickly abandoned because it did not account for the very dimensions of existing ballparks, particularly in older, smaller parks where hitting a ball 250 feet was relatively easy. This rule was seen as unrealistic and potentially distorting the game leading to its repeal. Can you imagine, in today's world, or even you know, over the recent decades, that some ballparks might have their walls only 250 feet out for a home run, how what the stats would have been like it had that happen? So it's good thing they repealed that. All right, we go to the next year, 1926 two changes. One was a pitcher allowed to use a rosin bag for the first time 1926 to give the pitchers a legal means of improving their grip on the ball, especially in adverse weather conditions. So 1926 also. 1926 is sacrifice hit is awarded when any runner advances on a fly out. So the reason was to encourage strategic hitting that advances runners even when the batter makes an out. So that takes us through the 1920s now we head into the 1930s and there was only one season where they incorporated rule changes in the 1930s it was the 1931 season. There were four changes. Change number one, balls that bounce over the fence entitled the batter to two bases. Because you probably are familiar with this back in the day, if it bounced over the fence, it was considered a home run. So this was the again, to clarify the ruling for balls that bounce out, ensuring consistency and awarding bases change number two, balls hit over the fence are to be ruled fair or foul based on where they are when they leave the field. So the reason was to standardize the criteria for judging home runs, ensuring fairness in calls. So of course, you know, eventually that's just where the fall polls came in, and that helped clarify all of that. Change number three in 1931 sacrifice flies were eliminated to simplify scoring and reduce emphasis on flouts that advanced runners. Wow, how about that? And then the last change in 1931 regulations referring to a batter contacting his own ball were clarified, as was the area of bases awarded a batter when a defensive player threw his glove at a bat or thrown ball, or in the case of spectator interference. So this is to clarify ambiguous situations in the rules and ensure fair play. Okay, let's go to 1950 so that last one's kind of funny, if they had to put a rule in for that 1950 the home team must bat second. 19 five zero. Can you believe that it wasn't until 1950 that this was an actual rule by Major League Baseball, and this is, of course, the standardized the batting order across the league, ensuring that the home team always has the final chance to score 1950 there were other changes in 1950 there were four others. Change. Number two, the mound b must be 15 inches high, and that's to standardize the height of the pictures mount, ensuring consistent Playing Conditions. Change. Number three, rules for determining winning and losing picture were established so to formalize the criteria for crediting pictures with wins or losses, providing consistency in pitching statistics and change number four in 1950 the size of the first baseman's glove was regulated, and this is, of course, the standardized equipment to prevent an unfair advantage gained through oversized gloves. And. On change number five, the strike zone redefine to and from the armpits to the top of the knees, to standardize the strike zone and ensure consistent calling by umpire. So that was all in 1950 and we move forward to 1953 there was just one change, and that is, players were to remove their gloves from the field, and this is in 1954 when batting and no equipment was to show on the field at any time. So this rule change was brought about 1953 but not started until 1954 to prevent distraction and ensure the playing field is clear and safe. So again, can't leave your gloves on the field when you're when you're when you're playing, all right, 1954 so this change is a defensive interference. Was changed from an offense solely by a catcher to one by a fielder as well. So you could have a defensive interference, of course, not just by the catcher, but by the fielders, and that's to clarifying the rules to ensure fair play by holding all fielders accountable for interference. Change number two in 1954 no fielder could take a position in line with a batter's vision with the deliberate intent in any way to distract the batter. So this, of course, the reason was prevent fielders from unfairly distracting the batter, ensuring a fair hitting environment and change. Three in 1954 the sacrifice fly rule was brought back, this time with the man scoring after the catch only to incur and this was to encourage strategic fly balls that advance runners and score runs even when the batter makes an out. And last but not least, 1959 one more change for the 50s, and that is, regulations were set up for minimum boundaries for all new parks. 325, feet to left field, 400 feet to center field. 325, for right field, and that's the standardized ballpark dimensions, ensuring consistency and fairness across different playing fields. So again, the minimum boundaries for all new parks, 325, feet, 400 feet and 325, feet from left center to right. Okay, now we move forward to the 1960s and in 1963 we had one rule change, that's the strike zone. It was enlarged to from the top of the shoulders to the knees, the top of the shoulders. So the reason was to give pitchers a larger target, potentially reducing offense and bringing balance between pitching and hitting. On 1965 there was a change, the size of the catcher's mitt was regulated to standardize equipment and prevent catchers from using oversized mitts to gain an unfair advantage. In 1968 another change, the anti spit ball rule was rewritten and tightened up because of the wave of moistened pitches that floated towards the plate the prior season. So the reason is to crack down on these illegal pictures that altered the ball's movement in unpredictable ways, ensuring fair play. And in 1969 there were three changes. The first one, the pitcher's mound, was dropped five inches. So 1968 was considered the year of the pitcher. So 1969 to rectify that, they wanted to reduce pitcher dominance and increase offensive production. Since it was a historically low scoring season in 1968 change number two, the strike zone was shrunken to the area from the armpits to the top of the batter's knee. So it's interesting just you know, not too much later, after they made that initial strike zone change. And there were a number of strike zone changes throughout the decades, but they changed it back in 1969 to get some more offense. And then the third rule change was the Save rule was added to the official rules for the first time. So this is to formalize the role of relief pitchers, particularly closers, and provide a statistic to measure their effectiveness. I saw the other day somebody was recommending that, as the Cy Young Award was being introduced, that they should have a closer award, or maybe even just, let's just say, relief pitcher award, separate from the Cy Young, so that way a pitcher could win both, which has happened. We've seen, of course, relief pitchers win the Cy Young, but in this case, there's suggesting that you add that to the award category, since, especially since, of course, relief pitching is such a key part these days in Major League Baseball. All right now we're in the 1970s and. 1970s we had a number of changes. So 1971 all major league players were ordered to wear protective helmets. So of course, the reason was to improve player safety and reduce the risk of head injuries from pitched balls. 1973 two changes. Number one, the rule on glove size and color was was minutely outlined for standardization. So this was to prevent players from using oversized or distracting gloves, ensuring fairness in Fielding. And change number two, the American League began using, as you know, the designated hitter for pictures on an experimental basis. It's been quite the experiment since 1973 is it's no longer that. Of course, it's now fully incorporated. So of course, this was to increase offensive production and prolong the careers of veteran hit hitters who could no longer field effectively. Are you in favor of the designated hitter role? You're more of a traditionalist, I want to see the batter's pitch and of course, with the for the strategy that's involved with that. So be interesting to hear from you. You can write me a dean at baseball classics.com about the DH rule? Okay? 1974 the Save rule was rewritten, and the reason is to redefine the criteria for awarding saves, ensuring that the statistic accurately reflected a pitcher's effectiveness in preserving a lead. So that was that change, and then change number two and I 74 is minimum standards for individual championships were outlined so and that was to establish clear criteria for awarding batting titles and other individual honors, ensuring fairness and player evaluations. So that was 1974 1975 there were three changes. It seems like when these changes came, they just came in droves. And then they, you know, were relaxed for a bit, then they came in droves again. So 1975 three changes. Change number one, the ball was permitted to be covered with COVID because of the shortage of horses, the reason to address the material shortage of horse side for baseballs and maintain the production and supply of baseballs. Change number two, suspension for three days became mandatory if a batter were to hit a fair ball with a filled, doctored or flat surfaced bat. The reason was, of course, to discourage cheating and maintain the integrity of the game by penalizing players who altered their bats for unfair advantages. And then in 1975 the current save rule was adopted to formalize and standardize the criteria for awarding saves, making the statistic more meaningful and accurate for evaluating relief pitchers. Okay, one more in 1970s Hang in there, and then we'll, we'll, we're going to move quickly through some of these other ones. 1978 the pitcher can't throw at a batter. Rule, how about that one? This is to reduce reduce the risk of injury and promote safety by discouraging pitchers from intentionally throwing at batters. Up till 1978 you could wail away and just hurl it at batters intentionally, without any repercussion. But of course, now we know there's warnings, or you're just tossed out completely if you're caught doing this intentionally. So. But fascinating, it was until 1978 All right, now we fast forward through the 80s, all the way up to 1988 for just one role change throughout the entire 1980s decade, and that is that catchers must wear protective helmets while on defense, and the reason is to enhance player safety and reduce the risk of head injuries for catchers during play, that was it in the 80s. In the 90s, no changes in the 2000s we only have one, 2008 major league baseball as limited instant replay for home run calls, fair or foul. The reason, of course, to increase the accuracy of crucial game decisions by allowing umpires to review, review and correct potential errors on home run and boundary calls. That's it. So really, from 1988 through all the way up, we'd go all the way up to 2014 we had, let's say, from 1989 to 2013 we had just one rule change. Now we start to pick things up a bit here. On the rule change front 2014 the rule change was runners attempting to score may not deviate from their direct pathway to the plate to initiate contact with the catcher. Catchers cannot block the plate without possession of the ball. How about this? You know, growing up for me and to many of you listening, I'm sure the way it was, is that you were a catcher, you were taught to block the plate. That's what you had to do. Two without the ball, of course, and then when you get the ball, you you know you're already blocking the plate to help prevent that runner from touching it. But 2014 can't do that major league baseball, and that, of course, was to protect players from collisions at home plate, reduce injuries and encourage safer play. 2016 the change was slides on potential double plays will require base runners to make a bonafide attempt to reach and remain on base. So the reason is to reduce dangerous slide tactics and protect infielders from injury while ensuring that runners attempt to reach the base legitimately. Of course, we all know about different injuries that have taken place over the years with with runners really coming after these either shortstop or second baseman getting a double play throw, and they're so vulnerable in a lot of those situations, and these runners are barely down. They just take them out. So it reminds me of, you know, football with punters, right? You hear the high leg kick, they're vulnerable. So you can't run into the kicker, and if you do, it's a penalty. So Major League Baseball caught on to that finally, but it took until 2016 to incorporate a similar type of role. 2017 this changes. Pitchers no longer required to throw four intentional balls to walk a batter. Managers may now ask the umpire to let their batter go to first base. The reason was to speed up the game by eliminating the need for the time consuming process of throwing four pitches during an intentional walk. I don't know about you, but I was bummed to see this one go, because it was always interesting to see somebody act like they were going to intentionally walk a batter and then throw a strike on them anyway. So 2017 that went away. All right. Now we're into 2020 where we have, again, a bunch of rule changes that have come about. So rule change number one in 2020 there were two pitcher must face a minimum of three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half inning. And the reason is, of course, speed up the pace of play. We know that was a big deal starting 2020 all this pace of play stuff by reducing the frequency of pitching changes, which often prolong games change number two in 2020 was the temporary COVID 19 pandemic rules added for a shortened season. So they were as follows, extra inning runner on second base, automatically. Seven inning double headers. The postseason expands to 16 teams, universal DH, designated hitter. And the reason was, these rules were implemented to adjust for the shortened 2020, season due to the COVID 19 pandemic, aiming to complete games more quickly and reduce the strain on players and teams. Well, let's, let's pause here for just a moment. So the extra inning runner on second base automatically. It's 2024 that still goes on. So so much for doing that. Only during this shortened season, seven inning double headers. You really don't even see double headers anymore, unless it's a makeup game, but if it is, you've got these seven inning double headers. So that's to me as more of a on the traditionalist side. I mean, I do like to see the technology advancements take advantage. So I'm kind of a hybrid guy on that. But seven inning double headers, not a fan of that postseason expanded to 16 teams. We know that that, you know, is a little bit different. But they did add, you know, in the wild cards and such a universal DH, well, we know that that's here to stay as well. So these supposed temporary changes, rule changes really were permanent role changes. They were just kind of to me, they were just used 2020, in the shortened season as a reason to kind of just force all those in there at that time, and then, of course, keep them in now we go to 2022 the change here was the draft lottery implemented to discourage tanking. So of course, lot of teams doing that right, we're just going to lose out. Who cares? We want a great draft pick. So of course, it was to discourage teams from intentionally losing games to secure higher draft picks, thereby promoting competitive integrity. This really burns teams like the White Sox, who had just, of course, the worst season in major league baseball history in 2024 so instead of them getting the number one pick, because the way the rules are with the draft lottery, the highest pick they can get in 2025 I think the highest they could get is the 10th pick. That's it. So even though they had this lousy season, they're not going to really benefit from it. So I do like that. I think that that's good to keep these teams so they have to remain competitive. Yeah, because they're not going to benefit just by just by tanking. Change number two, the National League officially adopts the DH. So the reason was great uniformity between the American League and national leagues and increase offensive production by having the DH in place of a pitcher. I know there's been a lot of controversy about that one since it was first incorporated back in the 1973 season, and then changed number three in 2022 the postseason expands to 12 teams, so to provide more teams with the opportunity to compete in the playoffs, increasing fan engagement and revenue. You know, baseball, of course, for a long, long time where the was the only major sport that really have these pennant winning teams get into the World Series, and that was it. But really, I mean, baseball had to expand the number of teams that get in the postseason, certainly from a revenue perspective, to keep up with some of the other major sports. They just had to do it so it made sense, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more. It has really been fun to watch and see how they've incorporated. I think it's been well done, all right, 2023 so we have five changes that took place in 2023 so the bases were increased in size from 15 to 18 inches to here's the reason to reduce the risk of injury by giving players more space to avoid collisions and improve player safety. I don't really know that I buy that one, but Okay, next change defensive shifts are banned. Reason is to increase offensive production and ensure that more batter balls resort result and hits by preventing extreme defensive positioning. At first, I was a little torn about this one, because, you know, if a batter can't pull or can only pull a baseball, well, you know, got to learn to hit to the opposite field and let the fielders then defend them. If we're, he typically hits the ball. But then again, I think about, you know, other sports, you do have to have players in certain parts of the field of play. So, you know, I'm, I'm warming up to that one. The next change is the extra inning runner on second base. This, again, was from those 2020 temporary roles made permanent to expedite the conclusion of extra inning games and reduce the duration of extended play. I am not in favor of this at all, and I'm going to cover this on an upcoming episode about these ghost runners and explain how Major League Baseball can fix it. So that's coming up in an episode in the near future, another change, the fourth change in 2023 pitch clocks will be used so to speed up the pace of the game by limiting the time pitchers have between pitches, reducing downtime and shortening game lanes. I'm not a fan of the pitch clock. I don't like the pitch clock. I don't like see clocks in baseball, but I know that's going to be here to stay. There are many other ways that baseball could have if pace of play was the the issue here many other ways that they could have increased the pace of play without having a pitch clock. Perhaps I will cover that on another upcoming episode, because again, on this this diamond cast, we like to cover controversial topics as well and just tell it like it is all right. Change number five in 2023 pictures are allowed to disengagements per plate appearance without penalty. Reason is to limit the number of pick off attempts and keep the game moving while still allowing pitchers some flexibility in controlling the running game. Again, I'm not in favor this one either. So not my favorite one. But again, this is probably here to stay as well. All right, so of the past Major League Baseball rule changes since 2020, 40% of them impacted the pitcher. The major league baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, this past summer declared that the electronic strike zone, as we know, will begin tested in spring training. 2025, now let's talk about the whispers of this other potential major league baseball rule change that's aimed at pitchers who start a game that must go at least six innings, barring some kind of various other parameters, like injury and such. So I have some questions about this, and I wonder if you do too, and I would think that many major league baseball fans would so this will clearly have an impact on every team's roster construction. So again, at this point, again, there's nothing concrete that this is going to happen. But you know, the way that things have been with the pace of play, it wouldn't surprise me if they start. To test this out at some point. Here's my questions about it. They're going to do this again, and that is to to force pitchers, starting pitchers, to go at least six innings. Now, by the way, I'm all for starting pitchers pitching complete games and shutouts, just like you know so many of the greats have throughout major league baseball history. I'm all for that, just I'm not a fan of the forcing stuff like this. So here's my questions, could it be the number of pitchers on a roster is governed from 13 until September to more or less? So what about a two way player? Would a two player, two way player be considered one of those pitchers. Like, what about showtani? Is he gonna be considered on the roster as a starting pitcher or not? So then they have to, you know, consider him on the roster in the pitcher spot, or is he really more in the batter's category for the roster construction, and what if the unintended consequence is more injuries to starting pitchers? How long before they change the rule? I mean, how do they know for sure that this isn't gonna just put undue strain on starting pitchers? And of course, it's gonna take some time, because, again, a lot of pictures have not been accustomed to going really much beyond five innings, so we have to stretch these guys out. It's gonna take some time to it now. Again, I'm all for it. I just don't like the forcing part of it, the six inning requirement, all right, so with the emphasis on starting pitchers will more bullpen pitchers want to do all they can to become starting pitchers to earn more. Is that what's going to happen? So now the bullpen pitchers that were really good, they want to become starters so they can earn more money. And now what happens to the bullpen? You're going to have a bunch of bullpen guys that aren't very good, if so many of these guys want to be starters, and what do they do there? What if you What are you going to have six, seven starters on a on a team now, instead of maybe five or four, like back in the day? And then last question is, will this widen the gap between big market teams which can afford expensive, high quality starting pitchers, more than smaller market teams that can so what about that? They're going to go after these. You know, the best starters these teams in large markets go, bring them and their staff these smaller market teams can't afford them. Then what now? I do have a solution for that that's going to come up on Thursdays diamond cast. So you want to tune into that. That one is going to be, again, something that I really don't and haven't seen talked about hardly at all in Major League Baseball, but I'm going to bring it up. So we're going to talk about that on Thursday's episode. So should, in your opinion, should Major League Baseball implement a six inning minimum starting pitcher requirement asking? Of course, they're gonna be asking starters to throw longer than most of them are used to. Again, some are workhorses, and they're okay, but, but again, many are not. So here's some stats for you, as you consider that question, the average innings pitch per start was down to approximately 4.73 innings pitched Since 2020 so again, starting pictures not even averaging five innings per start. So that's a significant decrease from the earlier years, even only, such as 2015 when the average was about 5.72 innings. So just over that five year period, pitchers have lost a full inning of of how long they can survive pitching in a game for whatever the reasons are, and probably it pitch count for the most part, these for the starting pitchers. So now Major League Baseball seeing it go from 2015 to 5.72 innings to 2020 going down to 4.73 innings. I don't have the numbers yet for the this past season of 2024 but I doubt it's it's changed much from the 4.73 innings now you're gonna ask him to go up to six innings minimum. What's that? What's gonna happen to Major League Baseball if you were to do that? So we'll see what happens, of course. But there's one thing for sure about this if it were to happen that there's plenty of pitchers back in the day who loved hurling all nine innings every chance they got, so maybe baseball will get back to that. But what would be unfortunate about it is that they had to be forced into it, if you will, as opposed to letting them. Their talent and their their conditioning and their their motion, which you talked about again, another recent diamond cast episode. Let that be the reason why they're going longer into the game. So all right, well, thanks for tuning in. That's a wrap for this baseball classics diamond cast about major league rule changes that have taken place since 1901 all the way to present. We'll see what 2025 has to bring us, besides the automatic strike zone for spring training, which I am a fan of. So we'll see you on the next baseball classics diamond class with another feature story, and until then, I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day. Bye.
