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MLB Makes Extra-Inning Rule Permanent, Changes Position Players Pitching Criteria

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Tony Marchese | Last updated 2/13/23

The automatic runner on second base rule to start extra innings is here to stay.

MLB's automatic runner on second base rule for extra innings is here to stay. On Monday, the league's Joint Competition Committee voted unanimously to make it a permanent rule starting in 2023.

The automatic runner on second base to start extra innings rule was initially implemented during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season as a way to protect pitchers' arms. It remained in the rulebook for the 2021 season and was used again in 2022 after a shortened Spring Training due to a lockout.

Rumors of the rule remaining in place date back to October 2022, when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made an appearance on Mad Dog Unleashed with Christopher Russo. According to Manfred, the clubs, the players, and the fans like it.

While Manfred is likely spot-on that front offices and coaching staffs around the league view the rule positively, the public outcry from baseball fans seems to indicate the commissioner is once again out of touch with what baseball fans actually want to see. You don't need to look much further than the replies or the quoted responses on Jesse Rogers' original tweet announcing the rule change.

Along with the now-permanent runner on second base rule, MLB's Joint Competiton Committee has also made changes to the rules regarding position players pitching. Under the new guidelines, position players will only be allowed to pitch in extra innings, in the ninth inning when the leading team is up by 10 or more runs, or anytime when the trailing team is down by eight or more.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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