Red Pinstripes: A bad rule comes back
Plus: New jersey series from Nike, Tatís injury, the Nats play and highlights
Good morning,
Welcome to the first MLB-centric edition of Red Pinstripes. Normally we focus on the Phillies around here, but I want to take a look around the league at least once a week too.
Today, I complain about a rule that I thought was only around for the 60-game season. And Nike has come out with some crazy new Red Sox jerseys. Plus, the Tatís injury, where the All-Star Game is going, the Nats finally played and highlights from around the league.
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Ghost runner on second
Many of the changes Major League Baseball adopted last season to get through the pandemic-shortened 60-game season have gone away this year. Expanded playoffs, the universal designated hitter and 30-man rosters are all remnants of that strange season.
Two rules remain though, seven-inning doubleheaders and the extra innings rule that places a runner on second base. I’m not in love with the shortened doubleheaders, but it makes sense with COVID increasing the number of postponed games this year. We’ll see our first doubleheader today when the Braves take on the Nationals.
But the extra-inning rule bothers me. In case you don’t remember, the extra innings rule means that whenever a game goes into extra innings, the last batter of the previous inning is placed on second base. It’s meant to facilitate quicker endings to games, and it works.
Already this season we’ve seen the rule invoked, including extra innings games in New York and Philadelphia on Opening Day. You can’t always call me a baseball traditionalist and I’m not even all the way out on this new rule, but I don’t love when it happens.
I’m the type of baseball fan that loves the 20-inning game. They’re rare and it’s cool to see the handful of times a year that happens. We see different things like position players pitching and pitchers playing the field. These long games create fun moments that we remember from otherwise unmemorable seasons.
The ghost-runner-on-second rule ends the games quicker by putting a man in scoring position to start the inning. All it takes is a ground out and a sac fly to put a run on the board. Teams don’t need base hits or walks to score.
I also understand that a lot of people, including players and coaches, don’t like games going that long. It increases injury risks and forces teams to make extra roster moves to get fresh pitchers.
But just because you’re trying to shorten games doesn’t mean baseball has to immediately turn to the ghost runner on second.
Think about hockey. During the 2005-06 season, the NHL implemented the shootout to end games tied after one 5-minute overtime period. Before they adopted the rule, games ended in a tie after one overtime.
I think a lot of hockey fans can gripe about the shootout not being real hockey and a strange way to end games. Soccer fans have the same complaints about penalty kicks ending games.
In hockey, playoff games don’t go to the shootout, they just keep playing (full 20-minute period) overtimes. Likewise, baseball doesn’t use the ghost runner rule during extra innings of playoff games.
I think baseball should adopt another similarity from hockey. Play the 10th and 11th innings under regular rules. Then, if the games still haven’t ended, go to the runner on 2nd rule. It’ll help prevent the 20-inning games, but we’ll still get to see teams try to win “real” baseball for a couple of those extra innings.
Yellow Sox? Actually… I love it
The Boston Red Sox unveiled their new City Connect uniforms Tuesday, and they are unlike anything the Red Sox have worn before -- there’s no red.
The City Connect uniforms are part of a collaboration between teams and Nike as part of the manufacturer’s new contract to supply the league’s uniform. Between now and 2023, each team will release a City Connect uniform designed to reflect the communities where baseball’s teams reside.
If you don’t know that context, the new Red Sox uniforms are shocking. They’re bright yellow and powder blue, colors I normally like but definitely not Red Sox colors. Then you learn that these uniforms have a story. They’re supposed to reflect Patriots Day and the Boston Marathon, and the colors reflect the colors of that day.
This is just the first of 30 City Connect uniforms to come and I can’t wait to see what other teams will come up with for their designs. I like seeing teams push boundaries with new uniforms, especially ones that will be used sparingly but represent their communities. Too many teams wear red and blue and injecting more color into the game will be refreshing.
Six other clubs will have City Connect jerseys this year: the Marlins (May 21), the White Sox (June 5), the Cubs (June 12), the Diamondbacks (June 18), the Giants (July 9), and the Dodgers (late August).
Friar concern
Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. was placed on the injured list Monday night with left shoulder inflammation. Tatís injured the shoulder when he swung and missed at an Anthony DeSclafini pitch Monday night.
The long-term severity of the injury is unknown; Tatís will miss at least the 10-day minimum and will opt for rest-and-rehab over need surgery. The lingering effects of the injury will also be a concern.
This stinks for Tatís, the Padres and all of baseball. For both Tatís and the Padres, big things are expected this year and his health is a big part of those expectations.
Across baseball, Tatís has ascended into a position where he could be the game’s biggest star, especially after signing a $340 million contract with the Padres this offseason. But to reach those lofty heights, Tatís has to stay healthy. And that’s been a big question mark for the 22-year-old who still has only played 143 games across three seasons.
The Nats played a game
The Nationals opened their season Tuesday in a battle of winless teams when they took on the Braves. For whatever reason, the 0-3 Braves’ Twitter account decided to taunt the Nationals after they hit a couple of home runs.
Well, turns out that may not have been the brightest idea.
The defending division champion Braves have still not won a game this year.
Midnight train to Denver
After being removed from Georgia, the 2021 All-Star Game will be played in Colorado this year.
I don’t have much to add to this story, but give me this home run derby. That should be fun. And, in commemoration of this (probably) being the final year of pitchers hitting, let’s have a pitchers home run derby too.
Highlights!
The Akil Baddoo highlights continue to roll in for the Rule 5 rookie. He hit a grand slam in garbage time Monday. And then Tuesday he walked it off.
Fickle Yankees fans decided to boo Giancarlo Stanton during the team’s opening series for some reason. It’s not like he was their best player during the playoffs last year. Oh, wait. He hit 6 home runs, didn’t he?
Anyway, after being booed in the first series, he hit this grand slam Monday against the Orioles:
Mike Trout also hit his first home run Monday.
And Jacob deGrom made his debut in style, painting 100 mph fastballs on the black. Nothing you can do about that.
Luckily, deGrom only pitched 6 innings, probably because of his COVID layoff, and then the Phillies came back against the Mets bullpen.