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MLB makes small pace of game changes, passes on bigger steps

Sports

February 20th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

NEW YORK (AP) – Major League Baseball is making some changes to speed up the length of games but it won’t implement some of the more radical proposals to make games shorter. The league and the players’ union announced an agreement Friday to enforce the rule requiring a hitter to keep at least one foot in the batter’s box in most cases. MLB also will post stadium clocks timing pitching changes and between-inning breaks.

MLB did not institute many of the ideas experimented with during the Arizona Fall League, such as a 20-second clock between pitches, a limitation of pitcher’s mound conferences involving catchers and managers, and no-pitch intentional walks. Penalties for violating the new rules start May 1 and will involve only fines. In the AFL, strikes and balls were called against violators.