Major League Baseball isn’t done tinkering with potential rule changes for the sport.
The league announced Tuesday a series of experimental rules to be used in the Atlantic League this season, including:
- a designated pinch runner
- designated “double hook” beater’s rule.
- additional limitations on a pitcher’s ability to make pickup moves
The designated pinch runner rule allows a player not in the starting lineup to be used at any time in the game as a substitute base runner. The player who was replaced, as well as the pinch runner, could still return to the game.
The “double hook” designated hitter rule allows teams to use the DH throughout the game as long as the starting pitcher throws at least five innings. If that doesn’t happen, the team loses their DH and the starting pitcher spot for the rest of the game. The rule was also used in the Atlantic League last season.
The designated pinch runner rule allows a player not in the starting lineup to be used at any time in the game as a substitute base runner. The player who was replaced, as well as the pinch runner, could still return to the game.
The “double hook” designated hitter rule allows teams to use the DH throughout the game as long as the starting pitcher throws at least five innings. If that doesn’t happen, the team loses their DH and the starting pitcher spot for the rest of the game. The rule was also used in the Atlantic League last season.
There is also a single strikeout rule, meaning pitchers can only take their foot off the rubber once per at-bat to attempt a strikeout or reset the pitch clock.
The Atlantic League is an independent minor league that has been designated as an MLB Partner League since 2019, helping the sport test new rules. Some of the rules stuck and were eventually used in the big leagues, while others were not.
MLB debuted a series of rule changes this season that were tested across the minors, including the Atlantic League. The new pitch clock has cut about 30 minutes of playing time through the first three weeks of the season, while limits on pitching and bigger bases have helped boost the offense.
“We thank the Atlantic League for its continued partnership,” Morgan Sword, MLB’s vice president of baseball operations, said in a statement. “In recent years, the ALPB’s experimental rules have sought to emphasize athleticism, improved pace of play and other means to give fans the game they want to see.
Report from The Associated Press.
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