NEW YORK, NEW YORK (SNN-TV) – Pitch clocks? No more shifting? Larger bases? All three could be coming to a big-league ballpark near you in the not-so-distant future.
MLB and the players union appear no closer to a new labor deal after their latest meeting yesterday.
MLB declared the two sides are “deadlocked” after receiving the union’s latest proposal, a claim the union disputed.
According to multiple reports, the union granted MLB the ability to unilaterally implement three rule changes with a 45-day notice in 2023: adding a pitch clock, banning the shift and increasing the size of bases.
Robot umpires were not included in the union’s proposal.
These moves arise after MLB has sought to improve pace of play in recent years, as the average time of nine-inning games in 2021 was 3 hours and 10 minutes.
