Every year around this time, it seems ideas are thrown around to gauge public opinion on possible new rule changes in Major League Baseball. That’s applied even more so under new commissioner Rob Manfred.
The latest change to the game Manfred is considering is a restriction on the usage of relief pitchers in order to shorten games. Manfred discussed the possibility on ESPN’s Mike and Mike:
“You know the problem with relief pitchers is that they’re so good. I’ve got nothing against relief pitchers, but they do two things to the game: The pitching changes themselves slow the game down, and our relief pitchers have become so dominant at the back end that they actually rob action out of the end of the game, the last few innings of the game. So relief pitchers is a topic that is under active consideration. We’re talking about that a lot internally.”
So when Girardi, a former major league catcher and current New York Yankees manager was asked about the proposition, he was pretty sarcastic with his response:
Joe Girardi offers his own unique response to Rob Manfred saying MLB is looking at limiting the use of relievers.https://t.co/2OdylE5b3s
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 21, 2016
And Joe Girardi remains an interesting interview. He also has a point. But Girardi bristling at such a rule change is understandable, considering it would limit his ability to use one of his roster’s best current resources with a bullpen that includes Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman. But more of Girardi’s fellow MLB managers should also chime in on this, and likely will as they’re asked about it by reporters.
Baseball, perhaps more than any other major sport in the United States, is not a game that is very open to change. It’s widely known as America’s pastime, and with a game that values its traditions and record books more than any other sport, it’s tougher to welcome change than other leagues.
