Ditch the damn Phantom Runner rule!

[Hy Feiber]

It creates a fake artificial ending, and is Retarded.

Why should a pitcher take a loss when that fake runner ain’t his?

Why is it prohibited in the playoffs only?

[D-train]

When I first learned about it I thought it was absolutely ridiculous but I actually like it now I don't want to stay up till after midnight to watch a baseball game. I usually go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 and get up at 5:00 a.m.

[D-train]

Nobody cares about pitcher wins and losses anymore not even the pitcher

[D-train]

Great thread though Marty I'm really interested to hear what others feel about this

[Sibelius Hindemith]

Nobody cares about pitcher wins and losses anymore not even the pitcher

That's something they really need to get rid of, but it's so embedded in the history and lore of the game it's probably never going to happen. They could have made it more meaningful by requiring that a pitcher have a quality start to be eligible for a win and exempt from a loss. But for a relief pitcher to be able to get a win after getting one out is ridiculous.

Regarding the extra innings rule, I have always been in favor.

[D-train]

Nobody cares about pitcher wins and losses anymore not even the pitcher

That's something they really need to get rid of, but it's so embedded in the history and lore of the game it's probably never going to happen. They could have made it more meaningful by requiring that a pitcher have a quality start to be eligible for a win and exempt from a loss. But for a relief pitcher to be able to get a win after getting one out is ridiculous.
Regarding the extra innings rule, I have always been in favor.

Craziest thing is when a reliever blows a save but is the last pitcher in the game and his team comes back and wins he gets the win. Should be an official scorer decision on which pitcher pitched the best. If a starter leaves with a lead and his team wins he should get the win regardless. Common Sense.

[Sibelius Hindemith]

The rules with regard to quickening the pace of games seem overly stringent. I'm pretty sure it was unpopular with radio broadcasters because it gives them very little time to relate anecdotes from their own experiences along with the knowledge they have accrued, which has always been an important way of spreading the history and lore of the game to the public. The broadcasts now seem choppier and less interesting.

[Hy Feiber]

When I first learned about it I thought it was absolutely ridiculous but I actually like it now I don't want to stay up till after midnight to watch a baseball game. I usually go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 and get up at 5:00 a.m.

Do they even have that in T-ball rules?

Or Little League.

I actually like those really long games, it was fun to look at the box scores and see somebody going 0-10!

I recall Tom Cheney with the Washington Senators I think in 1962, pitched a 16 inning complete game, striking out 21!

When it comes to Major league baseball, I am laissez faire, I think that if a team wants to put four players on the right side of the infield, they should be able to do so.

That just forces the offense to adjust. What’s wrong with that?

Just have the offense lay three bunts down the third baseline,

This micromanaging is ruining the game.

[Hy Feiber]

The rules with regard to quickening the pace of games seem overly stringent. I'm pretty sure it was unpopular with radio broadcasters because it gives them very little time to relate anecdotes from their own experiences along with the knowledge they have accrued, which has always been an important way of spreading the history and lore of the game to the public. The broadcasts now seem choppier and less interesting.

To me, The chief reason for longer games is expecting the starting pitcher to go just five innings, and using four more pitchers to complete a shut out even.

When you have eight guys in the bullpen, you have to have a reason to use them even if they’re not needed!

Pretty soon, they’ll allow the starting pitcher to win a game if he goes just 4 innings.

Even when a guy is pitching a no-hitter, he’s not expected to go nine innings, can you imagine if Drysdale was pitching a no-hitter and Walter Alston came in to take him out!

I think one guy recently had a no-hitter and they took him out after five or six innings.

I still don’t see how these pitch counts have been improving the health of pitchers, who are going on the injured list all the time anyway.

Seems the baseball gods are constipated.

[rockycola]

Extra innings games should be allowed to be played straight through 11 innings (one could argue thru 10th or 12th).
Under my scenario, the courtesy runner is on 1st base, not 2nd, starting in the 12th. The 13th innings and beyond, the runner starts at 2nd.
If you want to further bastardize the game, in the 14th inning the phantom runner starts at 3rd base.

I can no longer imagine any of this if pitchers were still required to bat. That has been a good rule change, especially allowing Mariner DH's such as Refsnyder and Garver to add significant and consistent and dynamic extra punch to the M's lineup on a daily basis.