The extra-runner on second in extra innings rule is here to stay.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN is reporting that MLB’s Joint Competition Committee met Monday and unanimously voted to keep the rule for the 2023 season and beyond.
A runner will continue to be placed on second base at the beginning of every extra inning until a winner is decided.
The rule was first implemented during the pandemic in an effort to protect the already thin rosters and has been in place for the past three seasons.
Teams seem to be in favour of the new rule as it decreases the likelihood of marathon games that can really impact a team’s lineup decisions in the games that immediately follow.
Rogers is also reporting that the committee unanimously voted to tweak the rule on position players pitching. The previous rule had stated that a team could have a position player pitch if it was leading or trailing by six or more runs.
The new rule states that a team has to be leading by 10 runs or more in the ninth inning to have a position player pitch, while the trailing team can have a position player pitch at any time as long as they are trailing by eight or more runs.
Position players can pitch at any point during extra innings.
