MLB's New Rules Are Saving Baseball and People Hate It

Maybe some day they could "save" baseball by addressing ridiculous blackout restrictions and tv deals that push people away from using extra effort or money needed to watch any baseball at all.
Especially when going to games is expensive as hell.

I have never understood why pitchers never got more involved in pitch calling. Jimmy Key is the only pitcher I've ever seen that would give signs to the catcher.
The catcher would give the initial sign and then Jimmy relay his sign back. If the catcher put down a "1" but he wanted to throw a "3" then he would "swipe" with
his glove 2 times. It was very efficient and didn't require any technology at all.

The ghost runner rule just feels like me and my buddies in our backyard making up rules because we only had 6 people wanting to play...

Save baseball by making tickets affordable, and letting folks watch it on TV, end blackouts.

I went to my first baseball game last week (yankees against blue jays at yankee stadium). It was just overall a great experience, even though it was a "boring" low scoring game. It seems to me (a complete novice) that the clock really made a difference and forced the game to flow at a nice pace. And it was not too quick, it still was a quite relaxing experience unlike every other sport I'm used to here in Europe.

When I was a boy growing up in Boston in the 60s, the game was great. There was plenty of day baseball and day/night double headers. The season and World Series ended in early October, not November. Also, as a boy growing up, almost all the Red Sox games were televised on UHF, which could watch without paying for it. My parents were poor and could not afford to pay for me to watch baseball. I never went to a game, but I was able to watch the games on TV or hear it on the radio. Also, the World Series games were in the daytime. Young kids have a hard time watching baseball at night if they have to go to school or their parents can't afford cable. Baseball has gotten ridiculous with its overpriced tickets and cable viewing. When I was a boy, I and all my friends' first love was baseball. Now, it's a sport for the rich, privileged middle-aged men. If they want to save baseball, make the sport available for young boys. Also, when I was a boy, I played whifle ball, baseball, and softball with my friends on the streets or the park. My parents couldn't afford to let me play little league. I grew up following my beloved Red Sox and watched their games on TV or listened to them on the radio. I feel bad for kids growing in Yuppie Suburbia, where they can play sports on the streets. No wonder why kids have no interest in baseball. Greed is killing baseball. Make tickets affordable for families, and put baseball on regular tv.

Zack Greinke shaking off his own pitches is one of the best things I have heard in my whole life.

The rule to force batters to stay in the box is a good rule.
The problem is not that they are a foot or two outside, but because some tend to wonder around in circles. Nobody wants to wait for them to get themselves together.

I think the pitch clock will irrelevant as pitchers get used to it. Pitchers used to pitch at the pitch clock pace without the clock. Any baseball fan who is over thirty probably watched Mark Buerle pitch at least once.
The bigger based only favor the runner on tag plays. They favor the defense otherwise. The ball gets there faster than the runner.

There is word that the stadiums are losing revenue from the shorter game times. Less time equals less money being spent at the consession stands.
From the discussions I'm hearing over my local sports talk air waves, there is a possibility that stadiums may end up opening the gates earlier which I like that idea. I never get to see my home team practice on the field and the gates always seem to open when the visiting team is practicing. So this would be a nice change if it happens. Spend more time at home away from home.

Would love another analysis of this at the end of the season

I won’t be surprised if they come up with a rule limiting outfield shifts, dividing the outfield into thirds based off the lines of 2nd base

Zack Greinke shaking off his own pitches is THE most Zach Greinke thing EVER.

I go to baseball games frequently and I never went to a game on time because damn they used to take so long. this pitch clock absolutely saved the pace of the game. I absolutely hated when a pitcher takes over a minute to pitch and pick off several times.

The only change I’d make is adjust the pitch clock so it doesn’t determine the outcome of a tied 9th inning game with bases loaded and full count

I absolutely love the new rules. They've made the game interesting from beginning to end. What I hate is when my favorite teams are being broadcast on an app that I can't watch because those games are blacked out in my area.
It makes zero sense to me. You have the Yankees or Mets playing on MLBtv so I have to subscribe to that in order to see the games. But then because they're a NY team and I live in NY I'm not allowed to see it even though I live on the other side of the friggin state. Like I'm supposed to hop in my car and drive 700 miles to the Bronx or Queens every time MLBtv decides to exclusively broadcast a game. Screw you MLB.

The idea was to convince people who hate baseball to hate it even less. Personally, I've never been able to sit through a full 9 inning, 27 (at least) at bats without becoming so bored I actually watched the audience. A good drinking game for the next televised baseball game you watch is, "Spot the black fan". If you see more than 3 it's time for whiskey.

A lot of the drama comes from that time taken between pitches, expecially in the postseason during tight scoring games. I'll be interested to see if the new pitching rules take away from the postseason or add to it.

For a sport that doesn’t exist you do a great job covering it

I have a few issues with the new rules but generally I think all that needs to be solved is tweaking, such making sure that pitchers don't get too exhausted too quickly with the clock; 15 seconds is a decent amount of time but MLB should probably change it if issues that to occur with it.

Anything that makes Jazz Chisolm mad is a win. Good job MLB. Now fix your ridiculous blackout rules.

What a quality video. Your speed and succinctness while sharing a ton of relevant information earns you a sub. I’m a judgemental POS and I’m impressed with you. Thanks.

My only problem with the pitch clock is that I’m a huge fan of pitching battles. Then again, I’m aware that I’m on the lesser side on this. Let’s just keep baseball going

I can see the new rules effected the Diamondbacks in a positive way

Two things people hate; change and the way things are.

I enjoy the new rules. I went to watch minor league games and they were actually fun to watch

I went to a Rockies game this past Sunday (Apr 30th) and it felt like baseball but even my wife who isn't a baseball fan commented that the game was flying by. It felt like baseball though.

the thing I don't like is the shifts banning but I guess I'm not like most of the fans out there, I do like defensive games and I do like the possibility to use strategies that need the use of stats and lot of observation, it was pure mental skills like counting cards in black jack

I'm loving it! Not saying i don't love a full day MLB game but not much i like to do for 2hrs straight... ever

Want that Robot Umpire since the first time I heard it mentioned in a game by the Yankee's Announcers. It really feels like the bad calls have shot up an insane rate the past few years, this year being probably the worse (from what I can tell while watching the game for both teams equally too.) My 2nd wish is for there to be actual punishment players with fines for unsportsmanlike conduct with threats of suspensions and bans from all of MLB for repeat violations. Manny Machado's getting a little better than his previous years where he cleated 1st basemans and middle infielders multiple times intentionally along with many attempts that weren't successful. That kind of garbage needs to be addressed more than just a few choice words from the opposing team's players, MLB should be involved. And my 3rd wish, kind of ties into the 1st one a little bit, fines for Umpires who have horrible report cards or with calls that are beyond a reasonable mistake. There was a pitch that was called a strike 5 inches out of the zone this year. No way of having that altered. Other bad calls unrelated to the strike zone are also getting out of hand, and there is no way to challenge some of these calls. Take the 15 second to challenge rule in the Yankees/Orioles game recently. Orioles manager didn't challenge a play, the fans see the replay on the jumbotron and boo and the umpires go to the Orioles manager asking if he wants to challenge the play, well over 15 seconds after the play. When the umpires were in the wrong and it was challenged by the Yankee's Manager the Umpires said there is no way to overturn that decision now, oops.

At this point watching baseball is like watching a group of statisticians discuss a complex board game. There’s a bunch of percentages for obscure actions, and a lot of meticulous rules.

I love how much work is put into this vidoes. Lots of respect. Godbless

The new rules made my sister enjoy the game. She actually loves going to games now. She says they’re not boring anymore.

It had gotten to the point where I only watched the highlights on YT after the game so I’m glad to see the rule changes.
If I was driving I’d listen to it but sitting through a game wasn’t happening. Certainly not every day or even a couple of times a week.

Love the checking runners on 1st rule.

I think 20/25 is a good sweet spot, no rushed time, but no stalling either

This is way better than the new rule explanations all the RSNs are airing.

I think the pick-offs at first base has a particular loophole: The Hidden Ball Trick & Fake throws.

Wow, that was really on point and informative. Thanks!

These new rules almost make me want to get more into baseball beyond watching highlights. Emphasis on "almost". I still don't have the time or patience to watch a full Yankees game! 😅

I agree these rules are going to turn out to be amazing but the extra innings "ghost runner" rule is still god awful

Personally I'm liking SOME of these rules so far. I remember one time, I went to the kitchen to get a cold drink, served myself some snacks, went back to the TV and the batter still hadn't hit anything.
Also I agree with most of the comments, it should be more baseball on TV, or at least make the stadium tickets a tadbit less expensive.

MLB holding batboys/batgirls being held to a higher standard than their umpires is crazy...

Im a baseball traditionalist. But I just don't understand how the game has gotten so long. Seems the changes are good from what I can tell so far

“You both have good points. Let’s see how we can work together.”

A balked-in run had happened before. I believe the Braves had a walk-off balk against the Mets a few years ago.

I love the shift. I'm mad it's gone frankly. So far the pitch clock has worked out to speed up games, but if they still allowed the shift you'd probably shave another few minutes off the game, which I wouldn't mind frankly.

I love the pitch timer, but I am wondering how this will affect pitchers' arms late in the season. I've always hated the shift, so that's a bonus as well. Bigger bases, who cares.
The phantom runner? Blasphemy of the highest order, although I'm sure the players secretly don't mind having less 15 inning games.

Today I watched the O's vs Red Sox and honestly? The 3 hours flew by. Felt SOOO fast, despite it being so long from it being a 10-9 game

You should do a video about Wally Backman’s up and down career as a manager.

I would like you to do a video talking about why Sammy Sosa is not a HOF and why the MLB has forgetten about everything he did for baseball.

I like the pitch clock I’ve enjoyed more baseball this year than I have any other year

The new rules add to the excitement of the game, for sure. One drawback, though, is all sorts of records will be broken because of these rule changes, and all these new records will need an asterisk next to them.

Great rules prompted by the owners leading to more hits & runs & reasonable game duration for us i-pay-ur-salaries Fans! Evens out -- the rules affect every player

Overall I'm interested to watch the impact of the rule changes over the course of the season. The only issue I have at the moment is MLB going after bat boys, that's just not cool.

Only complaint I heard today from visitors to Oracle Stadium was that they went to get a beer and missed a bunch of action because it moves so quick.

I think it would be better of the pitch started after an accepted sign with runners in base, but was only eight seconds at that point.

Automated umpires are something that should've been implemented as soon as the tech became available.

I wonder if Soto can still do the shuffle it’s been a while I don’t know if it’s the new rules or because he is in a slump, I miss that shit already lol

Look, in the long run this is going to help baseball. Games completed in under 3 hours are much easier to watch, especially on TV. Games over 3 1/2 and 4 hrs. were becoming way too commonplace. I like it when a pitcher can keep pressure on a hitter by throwing quickly.

Longest game from opening day was Cardinals/Blue Jays at 3 hours 38 minutes. Mostly attributed to 384 combined pitches thrown, 19 combined runs, 12 pitching changes.

Is it just me or does this channel have the best titles

agreed. the changes have saved baseball.

The one stealing first base was hilarious lmao

I don't really like baseball (But I love video essays on KRclip) but the rule changes all sounded great to me. The problem historically for me is that the games are too slow and, as someone that doesn't know shit and so could be way off base, they all sound like valid changes to try and change that

Damn I don’t like the changes exactly but this is definitely going to be the most exciting year in baseball in a long time by sheer chaos alone. It’s like a huge balance patch in a videogame 😂

You didn't mention the new rules on non pitchers pitching. A solution for a non existing problem.

The rule changes are fantastic, especially eliminating the shift. Baseball should have never allowed players to shift positions like that. Play your position as intended. Also, limiting mound visits…….. great!
Other suggestions; stop raising and moving the fences back. Fans want to see home runs!
Finally, implement electronic balls and strikes. It’s time.

I believe BDE focused on the first 3 days of spring training just to use 69 🤣🤣

I don't mind the shift or the pickoffs, or the bigger bases. I do however mind the pitch timer and think that has zero place in baseball. universal DH? sure, fine. extra innings runner? don't like it, but i understand how *that* makes games quicker. i do hope they drop the timer, at least.

Zack greinke is like:
Zack: fastball up high
Salvador Pérez : Sure
Zack:(shakes head) nope

Max Scherzer on the mound could be diagnosed as psychotic. So him using the pitch clock as a weapon is on brand.
Zack Greinke using PitchCom in Spring Training and not taking it all seriously is totally him as well. Zack calling his own pitches must have been wonderful for him.

As a relative baseball outsider, all of this seems like reasonable methods to both speed up the games and make them more exciting. Heres hoping that it does just that

I went to the Mariners game on opening day, and the new rules made the ballpark experience much worse than last year, simply from the push to make the games quicker.

I actually love the new rule changes. The only exception is that the pitch clock should get dropped after the 7th or 8th inning. No one wants to see clutch moments fizzle because of a clock violation near the end of a game.

Ryan Braun stepping out of the box to redo all his uniform was bull. I'm so happy that baseball is going faster.

The batter’s responsibility is to be ready.

Joey Gallo still getting shifted in shallow right by loopholes is hilarious to me

I truly was not a fan of baseball until this spring training. The games are actually entertaining now!

I can't wait for Coney to react to this.

I love the new rules. The Phillies beat the Mariners in Philly this afternoon (27 APR 2023) 1-0 in 2:04.

One more rule coming soon: Hit by Pitch results in walk to SECOND BASE

I'll voice my opinions on the rule changes after I've seen what it does in the next few months. However, the one thing I can't stand is the extra inning ghost runner. That to me is atrocious.
I do like how they dropped the defensive shifts though. Lefties AVG will skyrocket.

Now let's get them talking to PGA rules officials about a shot/putt clock. Those guys should be able to complete a round in under 3 hours.

I still haven't had a single person explain to me how making a base larger makes it safer. They just say it and expect you to buy in.

The drama and behind the scenes of baseball is more entertaining then baseball itself

I like the new rules, makes the flow of the game better imho, pitchers and hitters aren't stalling all the time; Pedro Baez might not like it but ...oh well!

I have several issues with this. The main one is changing the game you might as well throw the record books out.

I like the idea of the pitch clock but a tie (or close) game in the later innings not being rushed and allowing tension to build is one of the best things in sports. I don’t want to see a bottom of the 9th in the playoffs get rushed. I wouldn’t mind maybe seeing the pitch clock not being used if the tying run is on deck in the 8th & 9th innings. Just an idea

I'd like to see the clock double or even go away in the 9th or extras.

to fix this: Pitch clock timers and batting clock timers should be longer, or not existing in the 9th inning

I haven't watched a complete live game in ages. Takes far too long. Highlights are what I look at.

Baseball being like the only major sport to still wear belts is still shocking

the rules need tweaking but overall i think mlb is headed in the right direction with these new rules. unlike the nfl, whose idea of “evolving” is just picking a new rule to overcomplicate every year, mlb is actively trying to improve the quality of their games and i think sooner or later fans will see that it’s paying off

Love the new rules

Love every change. Got tired of watching batting glove adjustments and pitching changes for 45 minutes a game. Now we can watch baseball not navel gazing.

video idea: How the Tampa Bay Rays are doing so good.
I really need to know... lol

Me and my wife just went to a game at Ranger stadium and the game went by so fast, i didnt feel like we got our money worth. Before i knew it was the 7th inning. Needless to say as baseball fans we didnt like it.

I like the new pitching rule

The problem with baseball is that I CANT WATCH IT. I downloaded the mlb app and paid the subscription and the app still tells me “you can’t watch postseason games”
ITS OPENING DAY!!!
I swear the MLB does not want me to watch it. I have to watch on the go (I’m currently in Japan) and the MLB won’t allow me to PAY to watch a damn game because apparently their app thinks it’s the postseason or it thinks I’m too far away from St. Louis.
They make it too damn complicated to watch a damn game