When Major League Baseball and the players union came to an agreement to end the 99-day MLB lockout, fans were prepared to see several changes to the on-field product with the new CBA.
Pitch clocks, larger bases and banning the defensive shift were all changes that could be implemented in 2023. But one of the more popular moves was the apparent elimination of the rule that placed a “ghost” runner on second base for extra innings.
It turns out that baseball fans celebrated too soon because the rule is staying for at least another season.
According to The New York Post, the league and union agreed on a few additional changes like expanded rosters and allowing pitchers to remain in the game as a DH (to allow us to enjoy more Shohei Ohtani at-bats). But evidently, the extra-runner rule lives to fight another day — err, year.
Via nypost.com:
The extra-inning rule is probably the most controversial of the batch. It will just be in effect for 2022. It will again have a runner placed on second base to begin each extra inning as a way to create instant action and strategy and get to a resolution without playing long into extra innings.
The league is expected to abandon the ghost runner for 2023 as it’s staying around to cut down on longer games in a season with a shortened spring training. But man, we were so ready to celebrate that rule’s demise. It feels terrible to have it back.
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