One Inning per reliever--new rule?

[bosoxmal]

I think I've asked this question before, but last night'sgame was a terrible example. Six relievers gave up three hits, ttoal, struck out 7, and were done after one ining. Why?

 

To me, they looked like they were just getting warmed up, and here comes the next guy. An unkown for a known.???????

[jung]

There are components that appear to go into that decision. They may or may not make sense, but not much in MLB makes any sense any longer:

1) unless the manager thinks that his relief pitcher can get through two innings having to remove him when he gets into a jam means the next guy does not get to come into a clean inning. That next reliever is thus a "fireman" brought in to put out either a brush fire of a real firestorm. There are not many guys left in bullpens that managers think can do that. Most of them are now getting the benefit of coming into a clean inning and are asked to get out of it without damage.

2) The more a RP is used in a single stint, the longer he may have to stay on the shelf before the next time he can be used. Generally it seems the rule is that most of them "AT BEST" can handle two stints on back to back days and then will need a couple days to recoup.

3) is all the other stuff that goes into the decision of who to bring in where, who the opponent batters are and other game specific situations

 

Item 1 seems more of an issue than item 2 as it relates to duration of the relief stint.

 

Frankly there is very little that makes sense to me the way the game is being played today. But that is the best I got.

[bosoxmal]

There are components that appear to go into that decision. They may or may not make sense, but not much in MLB makes any sense any longer:

1) unless the manager thinks that his relief pitcher can get through two innings having to remove him when he gets into a jam means the next guy does not get to come into a clean inning. That next reliever is thus a "fireman" brought in to put out either a brush fire of a real firestorm. There are not many guys left in bullpens that managers think can do that. Most of them are now getting the benefit of coming into a clean inning and are asked to get out of it without damage.

2) The more a RP is used in a single stint, the longer he may have to stay on the shelf before the next time he can be used. Generally it seems the rule is that most of them "AT BEST" can handle two stints on back to back days and then will need a couple days to recoup.

3) is all the other stuff that goes into the decision of who to bring in where, who the opponent batters are and other game specific situations

 

Item 1 seems more of an issue than item 2 as it relates to duration of the relief stint.

 

Frankly there is very little that makes sense to me the way the game is being played today. But that is the best I got.

These arguments for automatic one inning mazimum, didnt mahe sense 15-20 years ago when you gave 2 innings (or sometimes more) when you were getting people out. Which was the name of the game (THAT game) That's why they hav 6 or 7 relievers!

[jung]

These arguments for automatic one inning mazimum, didnt mahe sense 15-20 years ago when you gave 2 innings (or sometimes more) when you were getting people out. Which was the name of the game (THAT game) That's why they hav 6 or 7 relievers!

 

Exactamento!!! But you are making my "these pitchers suck" argument which is smattered throughout the forum probably much to the distress of some forum members.

 

What do we really think stats like "quality starts" and "Openers" and Starters unable to go more than 5 innings without running up a triple digits pitch counts are GOOD for baseball? While I would contend that pitching has been going downhill and taking the entire game down with it for about twenty years, the last ten years of abuse have been most pronounced and the last 5 years (since the first rocket ship baseball of this generation and on to new super rocket ship) have been a complete disaster. This fixation on power baseball which has included power pitching is destroying the MLB game and everything underneath it which is of course EVERYTHING.

 

All we have heard from the MLB propaganda machine about pitching has been velo, Velo, VELO. So pitchers gave them what they wanted, whether they had the talent to do it, the physical makeup to do it or the technique to do it without shortening their careers to something like a heartbeat. Now we have pitchers that would never have gotten out of AAA ball in the past filling MLB unis, teams looking anywhere for anybody that even looks like he knows how to grip a baseball and pitchers dropping to injury like flies AND THEN in 2016 comes the first of the rocket ship balls, the very last thing pitchers, the true pumping heart of baseball needed. So yea, you have seven and eight deep BUMS, laughing stocks filling these MLB pens and starters that hit 100 pitches in 5 innings, nibbling at the edges, without the command or the confidence in their pitches to actually PITCH!

 

Oh but wait, MLB thinks this is EXCITING baseball or at least that is what their propaganda machine pumps out daily.

 

The Pitchers are leading their own revolution though. They are throwing more and more breaking balls and befuddling the HR lunatic binging hitters that MLB has instigated. "Go ahead big guy, cut from your shoelaces at that thing. How did that taste?" I hope that trend continues and I hope it keeps Manfred up at night. If only pitchers could once again command their pitches good enough to actually throw inside this thing might just be salvageable.

 

Worth noting for those interested that if MLB was not already in trouble Manfred would never have chosen this course. So whining that there is no issue with the game's popularity is just sticking one's head in the sand. Worse musing that what Manfred is doing is "working" to resolve the issues with the popularity of baseball are even more absurd. THE PROBLEM is that Manfred has no earthly idea what he is doing, well intentioned as it might be. He remembers the Steroid issue rescuing MLB from its demise sure to have fallen on its neck like the executioners ax without realizing what about the Steroid issue worked and why.

Edited July 15, 2019 by jung

[fxkatt]

Extra inning games, of course, really mess up this one inning rule. It means that each team needs to have one pos. player who can pitch, or resort to jerking with the starting pitcher rotation.

 

It also messes with Tampa Bay's strategy. Extra innings for them are a disaster, esp. if an rp has started the said game.

 

I think it's better to get 2-3 innings from a reliever followed by a day off, then to run this one inning parade every night, and still tire these guys out to no end.

[Bellhorn04]

I think it's better to get 2-3 innings from a reliever followed by a day off, then to run this one inning parade every night, and still tire these guys out to no end.

 

Most times when a reliever pitches 2 innings, they get 2 days off. 3 innings is probably 3 days off. That's part of the issue.

[fxkatt]

Most times when a reliever pitches 2 innings, they get 2 days off. 3 innings is probably 3 days off. That's part of the issue.

 

One day off should be automatic. If not needed, then two. I guess they just don't make ARMS the way they used to. It's the same exact games, but somehow the ARMS ain't the same. Maybe we need to expand the roster to 28, but boy it's hard to believe that even 8 relief pitchers are too few. In 1955, 13 pitchers on a staff would have been a joke.