12/9/2023 0 Comments Set a timer for 11 20![]() So overall, is baseball better today than it was a year ago? But a lot of traditionalists wanted to wait and see. And I thought the changes were good for the game when they were announced. MARTÍNEZ: Gubie, you know, baseball is my favorite sport, and I'll take it any way it comes no matter what. ![]() It's going to really continue on as far as the major league level. That being said, but the action and the number of stolen bases by some really good base runners now, it's going to - you know, it started in the minor leagues. Now, granted, you only get 20 seconds, but that's why the good, smart pitchers will get in their stretch position as soon as the hitter made eye contact when I'm at the plate, and you held that ball all the way to that 18 to 19 second and you stop them from getting any momentum. Again, that created more action, put guys in scoring position so a base hit can score you from second, or even a fly ball or a ground ball out can score you from third after you steal third base. The success rate on stolen bases, you know, increased, too. GUBICZA: Well, you saw the stolen base attempts increased. So through a pitcher's lens, Mark, how do you think pitchers in Major League Baseball adjusted to that? And the actual bases themselves are actually larger. So pitchers now have a limited amount of times that they can attempt to pick off a runner on first base. And there was one rule in particular where pitchers were most affected. That's where teams would move a lot of players to one side of the field. MARTÍNEZ: I know Major League Baseball also put an end to infield shifts. ![]() So I think everything across the board was so much better this season than any time, you know, I've seen in a long, long time. You weren't sitting around waiting for a pitcher to go for their breathing exercises on the mound. It doesn't seem like a lot - right, Gubie? - but 20 minutes in a baseball game makes all the difference. MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, games on average were 20 minutes faster than they were last season. And I think that's what made everything so much better. But because of the pitch timer, the action was there. Before, there would be nobody left because the games were 3 hours and 45 minutes, four hours long. It was amazing how many people were still in - at the stadium at the end of the game. MARK GUBICZA: It made the game so much better. He's now in the LA Angels broadcast booth. So how did all that affect the game? Mark Gubicza was a World Series champ and a two-time All-Star pitcher with the Kansas City Royals. Pitchers now had either 15 or 20 seconds to throw the ball. And that brings to a close a very different baseball season, one where new rules reduced the length of games by instituting a pitch clock. They also set a record by winning all 11 of their road playoff games. The Texas Rangers won their first World Series when they blanked the Arizona Diamondbacks last night in Phoenix, 5-0.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |