After speeding up games by instituting the pitch clock, MLB might make a move to require starting pitchers to pitch at least six innings.
According to ESPN, MLB is “interested in increasing the amount of action in the game, restoring the prominence of the starting pitcher, and reducing the prevalence of pitching injuries.” A few years ago, the league looked at making a tweak to the rules surrounding the designated hitter. They used the Atlantic League to beta-test the double-hook DH rule during the 2022 season. Starting in 2023, a team could keep its DH should a starting pitcher complete five innings. While the DH theoretically adds more offensive production to ballgames, there are baseball purists who would prefer to see games without the DH. It’s quite possible that MLB sets a pitching staff limit while bringing the double-hook DH rule to the major league level.
The league is kicking around this idea. It sounds radical but is it? “You would start to think about a repertoire that would get you through the lineup three times” Story here: Could six-inning minimum starting pitcher rule come to MLB? – via @ESPN App https://t.co/29cSljSMut
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 15, 2024
MLB Floating New Rule That Starters Must Pitch Six Innings
According to ESPN Stats & Information, starting pitchers are averaging 5.25 innings per start at the MLB level and 4.3 in Triple-A. Starters averaged 5.97 innings during the 2014 season. During the 2014 season, Clayton Kershaw threw six complete games while both Adam Wainwright and Dallas Keuchel threw five. It is wishful thinking to want a starting pitcher to pitch at least six innings. Fans would love to see nothing more than a complete game shutout. The odds of such an event happening are unlikely in today’s era of baseball. But even then, the proposal would take years before it even goes into effect at the MLB level. Furthermore, it would change how pitchers train and condition themselves. The days of the power pitcher would probably decrease and it would probably not bring back the 300-game winner.
There are some exceptions should MLB enact this proposal:
- He throws 100 pitches
- He gives up four or more earned runs
- He gets injured (with a required injured list stint to avoid manipulation)
Requiring starting pitchers to go six innings might be one of the worst ideas in the history of the game. Nothing against starting pitchers, but this whole thing seems unlikely. Baseball is now long removed from the era in which pitchers through 20-30 complete games a season. In fact, Justin Verlander is the active leader in career complete games. He’s only thrown 26 of them. Outside of Sandy Alcántara‘s six complete games in 2022, the most recent pitcher to achieve the feat was Chris Sale in 2016. The late Roy Halladay finished his career just shy of throwing 100 complete games. It just speaks to how managers are using pitchers differently in games. They are making decisions in a way that keeps pitchers healthy. If MLB goes forward with this proposal, one can expect much pushback from the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Photo Credit: © Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
