Category / Baseball

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Changes Are Coming

Major League Baseball is going to look different when it returns for the 2023 season.  The league’s competition committee voted yesterday to introduce a pitch clock and larger bases while banning the shift, among other changes.

The pitch clock will give pitchers either 15 or 20 seconds to deliver the next pitch, depending on if there is a runner on base.  The timer will start when the pitcher has the ball and both the catcher and the batter are in the dirt near home plate and play is ready to resume.  The catcher must be in the catcher’s box with nine seconds left, while the batter must have both feet set in the batter’s box and be “alert to the pitcher” within eight seconds.  Pitchers or catchers who violate the clock will be charged with an automatic ball.  Hitters in violation will receive an automatic strike.  Umpires will have the discretion to award a ball or strike if they determine a player is circumventing the clocks.

Pitchers can step off the mound for a pickoff or any other reason twice per plate appearance if there is a runner on base.  If the runner advances during the same plate appearance, the pitcher gets another two step-offs.  Stepping off resets the clock to its full time.  If the pitcher steps off a third time, the penalty depends on the outcome of the play: if the runners are safe, the pitchers are charged with a balk.  If an out is recorded or the runner advances, no balk is charged.

Hitters will be allowed to ask for and be granted time once per plate appearance, resetting the pitch clock.  A hitter who requests time a second (or more) time in the same plate appearance will be charged with a strike, unless the batter stays in the batter’s box, in which case the umpire has discretion as to whether to charge a strike.

A minimum of four players, besides the pitcher and catcher, must have both feet completely in front of the outer boundary of the dirt, with two fielders entirely on either side of second base, when the pitcher releases the ball.  The penalty for a violation is a ball and the ball is dead, unless the hitter reaches base, in which case the play stands.  If any other play occurs, the manager of the hitting team can choose to accept the outcome of the play.  Umpires will have the discretion to penalize the fielding team with a ball if the umpire determines players are attempting to circumvent the rules.

The bases will increase in size to 18 inches square, from the present 15 inches.

The players, who have four seats on the eleven-person panel, were united in voting against the shift ban and the pitch clock.  Players who were asked for direct feedback in the process felt that not enough of it was listened to or ultimately acted upon, people with knowledge of the process said.

 

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Book 39 (of 52) – The Truth Hurts

The Truth Hurts – Jimmy Piersall with Richard Whittingham

In The Truth Hurts, Jimmy Piersall, with help from Richard Whittingham, tells the story of his major league career starting in 1953 with his return from “nervous exhaustion” through his tumultuous broadcast career with the White Sox in the late 70s and early 80s.  Of course, my interest was in the later parts, working with Harry Caray and his battles with Bill Veeck, Eddie Einhorn, Jerry Reinsdorf, and Tony LaRussa.

Piersall’s tenure in the White Sox booth was just before my time, so all I knew were a few highlights here and there and stories.  If even half of what he says about Tony LaRussa is true, then it is surprising that he ever became the “Hall of Famer baseball person” that he turned out to be.  Piersall’s association with the White Sox ended in 1983, but he continued to be a Chicago-area presence until his 2017 death.

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Uh Oh

The White Sox announced on Wednesday that manager Tony LaRussa would be out indefinitely and will be returning to Arizona for further testing with his doctors.  LaRussa, who is believed to be in the second year of a three-year deal, missed Tuesday’s game against the Royals on advice of doctors after participating in his normal pre-game routine.  The White Sox announced he would miss the game about 50 minutes before game time.  Bench coach Miguel Cairo will lead the team while LaRussa is out.

With the team’s playoff chances dwindling by the day, there is no real need for LaRussa to hurry back.  Hopefully he takes the time to find out what, if anything, is wrong and to recover and then evaluate what the future holds.

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Looking Ahead To 2023

With about six weeks remaining in the 2022 season, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2023 schedule on Wednesday.  For the first time in years, MLB is moving to a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and, for the first time, 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league.  With the White Sox looking to bounce back after what has been a disappointing 2022 campaign to date and the Cubs looking to take the next step forward in their rebuild, the 2023 season looks to be an exciting time in the city of Chicago.  So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on the road in Houston on March 30 for a four-game series against the Astros before returning home to face the Giants in their home opener on April 3.

Aside from the Giants, the new interleague schedule sees the Phillies, Marlins, Cardinals, Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Padres travelling to Chicago, while the White Sox will go on the road to face the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals. The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a two-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field in late July followed by a mid-August tilt at Wrigley.

After facing AL Central foes only for the first half of September, the season ends with a six-game homestand against the Diamondbacks and the Padres.

On the north side, the Cubs also open their season on March 30, facing the Brewers at home.  After a 3-game series, they head out on the road.

The interleague schedule pits the Cubs against the Rangers, Mariners, Orioles, Guardians, Red Sox, and Royals at Wrigley, while they go on the road to face the A’s, Twins, Angels, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers.

Of their 28 games in September/October, only nine are against their NL Central rivals, though, with the Cubs not likely to contend, that shouldn’t make much of a difference.  They end the year with a six-game road trip against the Braves and Brewers.

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Elvis Has Entered The Building

Elvis Night is coming early to Guaranteed Rate Field this year.  With Tim Anderson, Danny Mendick, and Leury Garcia all on the IL, the White Sox are signing free agent shortstop Elvis Andrus.  Andrus, who was released by the A’s on Wednesday, cleared waivers and is expected to join the team on Friday in Cleveland.

Andrus, who turns 34 on the. 26th, which just so happens to be Elvis Night on the South Side, is hitting .237 with 8 home runs and 30 RBIs this season.  The two-time All Star, who spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Rangers before being traded to Oakland in February 2021, is a career .270 hitter with 87 homers and 703 RBIs in 1,904 career games.  Prior to his release, Andrus was playing out the final season of an eight-year, $120 million contract, but the White Sox will only owe him the prorated league minimum for the remainder of the season.

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If You Build It, They Won’t Come

One day before the Cubs and the Reds are set to battle in the second Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, word broke that MLB will not be returning to the site in 2023.  Frank Thomas, the former White Sox star who is part of the new ownership group that owns and operates the site, said that construction plans at the movie site will prevent MLB from returning next year.

Thomas and his partners, who bought the site after the inaugural game last year, plan to put in a youth baseball and softball complex that they hope will begin construction later this year.  The construction work will impact the site’s accessibility.

Will a game return there in 2024?  Too soon to tell, though breaking the inertia of making this an annual tradition will be a hurdle that will need to be jumped.

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The Jason Heyward Era Ends

In news that was both surprising and unsurprising, Jed Hoyer announced before last night’s game that Jason Heyward was unlikely to return from his knee injury this year and that he and the Cubs would be parting ways this offseason.  Heyward, who has been on the IL with a knee injury since late June, has one year remaining on his contract.

Signed to an 8-year, $184 million contract back in December of 2015, Heyward never quite produced enough to justify his lofty contract and, as the Cubs failed to sustain their 2016 success, he became as much of a scapegoat as anyone else on the roster, seeing his playing time reduced.  However, his place in Cubs lore was set when he was credited with leading an inspiring players-only meeting during the 17-minute rain delay at the end of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, after which the Cubs stormed out and took the lead in the 10th inning.

In addition to a World Series ring, Heyward won Gold Glove awards in both 2016 and 2017.  His numbers with the Cubs, both in games I attended and overall, were:

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London Calling

One of the casualties of the lockdown following the corona virus pandemic in 2020 was the cancellation of the series in London between the Cubs and the Cardinals.  While MLB returned in full force in 2021 and this year, the series in London did not.  Well, MLB announced yesterday that the series would return in 2023 with the Cubs and the Cardinals finally getting their chance to battle overseas.

MLB played in Europe for the first time in 2019, when the Yankees swept a pair of games from the Red Sox, and looked to further expand the game’s popularity throughout Europe by making it an annual excursion.  I imagine if next year’s tilt goes off without a hitch, the annual rollout will continue as originally planned.

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A Deafening Thud

Last year, the Cubs and the White Sox made a lot of noise at the trade deadline, making six deals involving stars like Craig Kimbrel, Javy Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant.  With the White Sox looking to make a move to overtake the Twins and Guardians in the AL Central and the Cubs looking to further divest themselves of championship pieces like Willson Contreras and Ian Happ, this year’s deadline was sure to be a wild and crazy time.  It wasn’t.

Sure, each time made some small moves, with the Cubs emptying out their bullpen of anyone with a pulse and the White Sox adding a bullpen arm, but those expected big moves didn’t happen.  Willson Contreras, a free agent at year’s end, is still a Cub.  It is safe to say nobody had this on their bingo card.

So where do we go from here?  For the White Sox, Rick Hahn and company have to hope that getting their stars healthy provides enough of a boost to sneak into the postseason for a third consecutive year.  On the north side of town, things are a little stickier.  By not trading Contreras, he will play out the year and will likely be given a qualifying offer heading into free agency, which, at best, will cost him money and, at worst, could leave him sitting at home well into the start of the 2023 season.  Ian Happ is under team control for another year, so, short of an offseason deal, he will go through this same dance next July.