For years, Major League Baseball has been trying to make starting pitchers more prominent again.
The idea now is to make them pitch at least six innings, but there are exceptions.
This might sound crazy because if a pitcher struggles early or gets hurt, they should be taken out.
Proposed Exceptions:
According to the report, there would be some exceptions to this rule:
– If the pitcher throws 100 pitches.
– If they give up four or more earned runs.
– If they get injured and need to go on the injured list.
Fans might think this is a bit too much change all at once. MLB isn’t testing this yet in minor leagues or independent leagues. Teams would need time to adjust their pitchers’ workloads. So, it could be years before we see this in action, if ever.
If implemented, openers and bullpen games would disappear. The goal is to have starters pitch deeper into games. Right now, starters average 5.3 innings per game in 2024. There have only been 23 complete games with Kevin Gausman and Max Fried each having two complete games.
Forty years ago in 1984, pitchers averaged an inning more at 6.3 innings per start. Twelve pitchers had at least 11 complete games that year; Charlie Hough led with 17.
Today’s game has faster pitches and more breaking balls, plus great relievers make it hard to go back entirely to those days. But reducing early hooks for starters is the aim here.
What do you think about these changes?
