Major League Baseball does hover around a new lineand it has been much criticized.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said there is “a little buzz” about a “golden strike,” where each team puts whoever they want on the board once in the game.
Rule changes often get negative reactions in baseball, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise – but this change could be the biggest the sport has ever seen.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. during the MLB Draft at Lumen Field on July 9, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
And it should come as no surprise that two of the best baseball players ever aren’t on board.
“This can’t be happening,” seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens posted on X.
Added Chipper Jones: “How about a ‘Rusty At Bat’ for the defense? Be fair to both sides!”
New York Mets broadcaster Howie Rose also doesn’t want a role.
Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks during the Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“Whaaat? Is this an April Fool’s joke in December? Come on,” he posted.
New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay took a different approach. While he said he wasn’t on board, he did give the commissioner credit for his creative thinking, saying something needs to be done to fix the “broken” game.
“There has to be something to stop the erosion of this great game. You have to appeal to more people. Younger people. Those are the people we don’t have,” Kay said on his radio program on Tuesday. “And you’re going to crucify Rob Manfred for thinking outside the box? You all need to grow up. And you all need to open your eyes and see what’s happening to the game.”
While baseball purists may not like any of the changes in the sport, they are working.
Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a press conference following negotiations with the players’ association, March 1, 2022, in Jupiter, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The average nine-inning game in the 2024 regular season lasted two hours and 36 minutes, the lowest since 1984. There were also 3,617 stolen bases this season, the most since 1915. MLB parlayed that into the highest attendance since 2017, despite the prices everywhere. the margin is higher than ever. It was also the first time in more than a decade that the league saw an increase in attendance in consecutive years.
