Major League Baseball is floating around a new rule, and it’s been met with widespread criticism.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said there is “a little buzz” about a “golden at-bat,” where each team would allow whoever they want to come to the plate one time in the game.
Rule changes often receive negative reactions in baseball, so this should come as no surprise – but this change could be the biggest the sport has ever seen.
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. during the MLB Draft at Lumen Field on July 9, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
And, unsurprisingly, two of baseball’s best players ever are not on board.
“This can’t be real,” seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens posted on X.
Added Chipper Jones: “How bout a ‘Rusty At Bat’ for the defense? Gotta be fair to both sides people!”
New York Mets broadcaster Howie Rose also wants no part.
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks during the Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“Whaaaaat? Is this an April Fool’s joke in December? Come on,” he posted.
New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay took a different approach. While saying he is not on board, he did give the commissioner credit for his creative thinking, saying that something needs to happen to fix the “broken” game.
“There has got to be something to stop the erosion of this great game. You’ve got to make an appeal to more people. Younger people. Those are the people we do not have,” Kay said on his radio show on Tuesday. “And you’re gonna crucify Rob Manfred because he is thinking outside of the box? You all have to grow up. And you all have to open your eyes and see what’s happening with the game.”
While the baseball purists may not like any change in the sport, they’re working.
Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference after negotiations with the players’ association, March 1, 2022, in Jupiter, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The average nine-inning game in the 2024 regular season was two hours and 36 minutes, the lowest since 1984. There were also 3,617 stolen bases this season, the most since 1915. MLB parlayed that into its highest attendance since 2017, despite prices throughout the ballpark being higher than ever. It was also the first time in over a decade the league saw an increase in attendance in back-to-back years.
