“And Withrow will intentionally walk Ramírez…The pitch…And he throws it over the head and here comes Santana and he scores and the Diamondbacks now lead two to one in the ninth!” was what Arizona Diamondbacks broadcaster Bob Brenly announced prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers losing to the Diamondbacks due to an overthrown intentional walk by Chris Withrow.
“We are lucky enough to witness another game changing play due to a mishap during an intentional walk,” Brenly concluded.
This season, for the first time, Major League Baseball will allow managers to signal automatic intentional walks from the dugout. This new rule was put in place to improve pace of play, but it takes away a vital part of the game. The MLB should reverse its bad decision.
While many pitchers can throw a 90-miles-per-hour fastball for a strike with ease, it’s a different story when they’re asked to loft a 60-miles-per-hour pitch away from the plate. Every once in awhile, a pitcher will create a bizarre moment on the field by either skipping or sailing the ball past the catcher. Other times, the pitcher may put the ball too close to the plate, only to watch as the batter unloads on the batting-practice-like pitch. These moments will be no more with the intentional walk gone.
These moments are rare, but still are a part of the game for a reason. A base hit or an advancement of a base runner by 90 feet or more can play a vital part in the game. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis expressed his disgust of the new rule, pointing out on Twitter that he has twice scored on errant pitches during intentional walks. These infrequent disasters could dictate a win or loss. As October rolls around, all baseball fans know that one game can make or break a team’s playoff chances.
According to the Washington Post, there were 932 intentional walks in 2,428 games in the 2016 season. With the intentional walk rule being taken away this year, a baseball game will now be, on average, 1.5 pitches shorter. In 2016, intentional walks occurred once every third game per team. On average, an intentional walk took 90 seconds. It may seem like a meaningless change, but are these bizarre and exciting moments worth saving 90 seconds of every third game? Will this rule really fix the pace of play?
As a college baseball player, I enjoy waiting on and watching the four-pitch walk. This moment is even more special when I’m standing in the on-deck circle. This gives me the perfect amount of time to get properly offended that the pitcher thinks I’m an easy out. It gives me extra motivation as I step into the batter’s box.
As a Detroit Tigers fan, I love to sit in Comerica Park and watch Miguel Cabrera step up to the plate in a key RBI situation. Sometimes the pitcher will intentionally walk him, inspiring Tiger fans freedom to “boo” the coward who lofts four pitches away from Cabrera. This is something Tigers fans have become accustomed to and have thoroughly enjoyed. I also believe that if the pitcher is going to take the easy way out, he should at least face the public humiliation of a cop out and throw the four pitches.
Shaving a few seconds off of a contest is not worth changing a fundamental part of America’s game. It ought to be played the way it’s supposed to be played and, thankfully, that’s how the NCAA still plays it. But for now, go ahead MLB pitchers: Breathe a big sigh of relief. You no longer have to worry about botching one of the “easiest” plays of baseball.
