Joc Pederson appreciates the shift meeting its demise: “It sucks hitting a line drive to right field and Manny Machado catches it.”
CHICAGO — Speaking about the significant rule changes coming to Major League Baseball in 2023, Giants manager Gabe Kapler used the word “interesting” on three separate occasions to describe the restrictions on shifts, the pitch clock and the larger bases that will arrive next season.
The Giants also aren’t even among the most shift-happy teams: they’ve deployed them on 32.4% of at-bats this season, according to Baseball Savant — mostly against lefties — which ranks 17th among the 30 teams. Pederson, though, understands why teams shift against him and others. Their use has increased from 9.6% league-wide in 2015 to 34.7% this season, the highest it’s ever been. Meanwhile, the league’s batting average of .243 is the lowest mark since 1968.
It has been in effect all year at the Triple-A level, where the average game time has decreased from 3 hours, 4 minutes to 2 hours, 38 minutes . Pitchers will get 15 seconds between pitches with nobody on and 20 seconds with runners on base; they can step off the mound for pick offs or other reasons only twice per at-bat.
Reliever Shelby Miller, who has spent the season with Triple-A Sacramento but was here on taxi squad, wondered why any fans would want a shorter game if they’re already paying for tickets.
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