There was some great MLB news Monday for those of us who value our sleep and would rather not stay up until 2 a.m. on a weekday to see how a meaningless regular season game in June will end.
The league is making its controversial “ghost runner” extra-innings rule permanent in 2023 and beyond, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported, meaning each inning after the ninth will start with a runner on second base — as they have the last three years.
MLB implemented this rule as part of its pandemic precautions in 2020, and it’s worked in keeping marathon games to a minimal — just seven games since have gone as long as 13 innings. Traditional baseball fans hate it, because they like sitting through boring 18-inning games on muggy summer days, but that might be the only con to a rule with several benefits.
Breaking: MLB’s Joint Competition Committee has voted unanimously to make the extra inning rule permanent for all regular season games moving forward. (2023 and beyond). A runner will be placed at second base at the start of every extra inning. Story coming at espn
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 13, 2023
Aside from keeping games from going on for five hours, the rule keeps bullpen arms fresher — especially necessary in an era where starting pitchers go fewer innings. The benefits for players extend further when you think about rest and recovery.
Then, there’s the fan perspective. The increased potential for runs scored at the start of an inning adds drama and excitement, and the continued expansion of sports betting means more and more people have a stake in games. The quicker they can get a resolution, the more likely they are to come back.
MLB is in the unenviable position of trying to appeal to these newer audiences while also keeping core fans satisfied. And the gap between those two seem to be bigger in baseball than any other sport. Bridging that divide sometimes that means ticking off existing fans who may threaten to stop watching when they don’t like something, but MLB knows those people aren’t going anywhere.
If this rule was that much of a non-starter, people would have stopped watching by now. If a fan was going to stick around for a game with one run scored between innings 10 and 20, they’ll stick around for a game with three runs scored between 10 and 12.
It doesn’t work the other way around, though. I would know. I’m the type of fan MLB should be targeting. I represent a segment of sports fan they don’t already have. I enjoy baseball, but I’ll flip the channel FAST. I also may have the occasional bet on a game. I can still be won over. This is a step in the right direction.
Save the quarter-day long games for the postseason when the games matter and the tension is real. Cut the length of regular season games and let us get on with our regularly scheduled programs.
