Major League Baseball’s tweaked extra innings rule continues to prove divisive, with high-profile figures split over its usefulness.
The latest to object is former MLB catcher and longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who dismissed the new rule placing a runner at second at the start of each half inning as “awful.”
Mike Scioscia on @mlb rule of having runner at second base in extra innings. "In a word…Awful. Hopefully it will be a passing craze for this year." #DodgerTalk
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 18, 2020
Mike cited 70% of extra inning games end in 10th inning anyway. #DodgerTalk
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 18, 2020
Scioscia’s thoughts likely echo those of a lot of baseball purists. Those people appreciate baseball’s willingness to keep on playing until there’s a winner no matter how long it takes, and the rules of the game don’t change during those extra innings. It’s an opinion that seems to be shared by a number of people within the game.
On the other hand, there are some pretty big names who are a lot more open to exploring the idea. Ultimately, a lot will be determined by how the rule is received by players and fans alike.
