Just reduce the amount of time between pitches and batters and I’d be happy. The amount of time a three strike out inning can take is absurd.
Ask, and ye shall receive[0].
[0] https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2023-rule-changes-pitch-timer-l...
As a "real" fan myself, I think it's great! Watching a batter step out of the box, spit, adjust their batting gloves and/or their athletic supporter, take a couple of shadow swings and then step back in after every pitch doesn't make the game better. Nor does a pitcher who stalks around the mound for half a minute, then shakes off the catcher six or seven times (it's almost always going to be a fastball when that happens anyway), sets, then steps off the rubber and goes through the whole rigamarole again. Yuck!
The larger bases and limits on throws to bases are fine, and banning the "shift" is wonderful!
It used to be (in fact, the "shift"[9] was first deployed against CY Williams[10] in the 1920s, but was much, much more famously used against Ted Williams[8], as he refused to do as Wee Willie Keeler[0] counseled and "hit 'em where they ain't.") that hitters would change their approach, i.e. "situational hitting"[1], but with the rise of analytics and focus on "three true outcomes"[2] and "launch angle"[3], using the shift became ever more effective because most hitters started just swinging for the fences every. single. time.
Which, combined with the "shift" makes watching the game much less enjoyable, even if it does provide some statistical[4] advantage.
Sure, I'd love to see my team win more games, make deep post-season runs and, hopefully even win the World Series.
That said, my team doesn't mail me a check when they win a game or the World Series. As such, I'd much rather see dynamic play (these guys really are amazing athletes) without the focus on the "three true outcomes."
There are two rule changes (not implemented this year, but during the pandemic and since retained) that really chap my ass: the designated hitter[5] in the National League and the "ghost runner"[6] on second base during extra innings[7].
So, no. It doesn't upset real fans (in fact, most of the response has been really positive so far -- not least because games are ~30 minutes shorter than last year) who really appreciate the game, IMNSHO.
[0] https://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/quokeel.shtml
[1] https://baseball.tools/baseball-situational-hitting/
[2] https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-growth-of-three-true-ou...
[3] https://www.mlb.com/glossary/statcast/launch-angle
[4] If the game itself is the "meat and potatoes," statistics is the "gravy" everything is steeped in. Many, many decisions are made both in-game and to evaluate players based on statistics; and player greatness (e.g. Hall of Fame inductions), it permeates almost every aspect of the game.
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designated_hitter
[6] https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-ghost-runner-rule-lea...
[7] https://www.baseballbible.net/what-are-extra-innings/
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infield_shift#History_in_Major...
I get why they did this, but this was the one change that I hated. I like letting the math nerds find optimal strategies to winning games.
Edit: Should say I also liked the addition of the DH, although I didn't really care either way. As an AL fan I prefer the DH, but enjoyed the quirkiness of seeing pitchers bat now and then. The ghost runners I *thought* I'd hate and initially did, but came to enjoy it as time went on.
>I get why they did this, but this was the one change that I hated. I like letting the math nerds find optimal strategies to winning games.
A fair point. Although isn't that what Fantasy Baseball is for?
>Edit: Should say I also liked the addition of the DH, although I didn't really care either way. As an AL fan I prefer the DH, but enjoyed the quirkiness of seeing pitchers bat now and then. The ghost runners I thought I'd hate and initially did, but came to enjoy it as time went on.
I get it. As a lifelong fan of an NL team (I'd also note that the DH wasn't adopted in the AL until the early 1970s), I always found games with the DH to be less interesting because, since most pitchers are poor hitters, there's a good deal of tactical and strategic thinking that has to go into whether to bat for a pitcher or let him come to the plate.
If your ace is rolling, but he's coming up with men on base and two outs -- what are you going to do? Remove him from the game and burning a bench player as a pinch hitter?
What happens when you run out of bench players because you burned them all (except, presumably, the backup catcher) hitting in the pitcher's spot?
Do you make a double switch, putting a position player in the pitcher's spot in the order to stave off having to take out a reliever who couldn't hit a tee-ball?
There's all kinds of wonderful complexity and nuance there that the DH just destroys.
As for the "ghost runner," my objection is less well founded. I just don't like that there's a base runner who didn't earn their way on.
All that said, I dig your point of view. That's one of the wonderful things about baseball: we can argue about the finer points, but still enjoy the beauty of the game.
For any HN readers, go look up this ridiculous practice. It will impress the number cruncher types, and it will impress you how much the TV companies practically cover it up so people think the game is still fair.