Kris Bryant believes baseball’s fine just the way it is – Chicago Tribune
Last May in Kauffman Stadium, White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle came into a game in the ninth inning and threw a wild pitch on an intentional walk before serving up a game-winning hit.
The Royals scored six runs in the ninth to win the game, and Kahnle’s inability to throw an intentional ball to catcher Alex Avila factored into the meltdown.
“It just got away from me,” Kahnle said the next day. “It’s part of the game, so you’ve got to be able to do it.”
Not anymore.
Major League Baseball, in its continuing crusade to change the game, has instituted a new rule change in 2017 allowing managers to intentionally walk hitters without making their pitchers throw a pitch.
Cubs closer Wade Davis was there that day, and remembered the struggles Kahnle was having. The reliever was sent down to the minors shortly after the outing, and was called back up later.
“You could probably see people get affected by that long-term,” Davis said. “So you’re making lesser of some guy’s career, or maybe you’re not going to see this guy because they’ve got a little mental thing about it. Just an opinion.
“As long as we’re not changing the game, I’m OK with (the new rule). Some people might like seeing people throw it away on the blooper reels.”
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said the new rule seemed “unnecessary” and wouldn’t speed up the game as intended.
“If anything, it might hurt (the game)” he said. “Because that puts pressure on the pitchers to make that pitch. It seems like it’s not stressful at all, but any time you’re not throwing it full effort for a pitcher, it seems like there’s a chance to do damage on that. There has been plenty of times where a guy has thrown away (a pitch on) an intentional walk. So it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.”
Bryant pointed out that Anthony Rizzo saw some low pitches when he was intentionally walked in the tenth inning of Game 7 of the World Series.
“What if the ball got away?” he said. “That’s huge, especially in that type of situation, Game 7 of the World Series. You want to put pressure on the pitcher any way you can. That’s another way it can affect the game … That’s history right there.”
Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday that “our fans, both avid fans and casual fans, want us to respond to and manage the change going on in the game.”
When told that most players think the game is fine the way it is, Manfred said “we know based on fundamental research what the fans think about the game.” He did not reveal what the research actually said.
Bryant said the game experience is fine and “real fans don’t really care” if the game is shortened by ten minutes.
“The game has been the same to me since I was young,” he said. “I don’t think there is anything that is wrong with it. That’s what makes our game great- it is a long game and we play 162 games a year and there’s more strategy and stuff involved in it. It could be a slippery slope once you start changing all these things. The ones you really need to ask are the fans. The diehard fans are going to be the ones who oppose more changes, and they’re the ones who pay to watch us play. Those are the opinions you need (to hear).”
Davis is OK with the intentional walk rule, and said fans want to see the pitchers actually pitch, not toss a ball to a catcher.
“I think it’s OK to (change) something like that that don’t make sense,” Davis said. “Letting someone go to first base for free? Let him go. If I’m a fan of baseball, I like watching guys do what they do, which is seeing guys throw as hard as they can and try to get people out.
“So if you see a guy do a more unathletic movement, like try to walk a guy unintentionally, I don’t think it’s a huge deal, so I’ve always agreed with that. You don’t want to lose a game on a more unathletic type of thing.”
Cubs president Theo Epstein, speaking in general last week on changes to the game, said MLB is just thinking ahead.
“It’s important to stay ahead of the game,” he said. “Baseball has done a wonderful job growing the game and revenues are incredible right now. But the commissioner is justifiably very aggressive and is looking ahead 20-40 years. We have to make sure we don’t lose the young fan. if the young generation today that is tomorrow’s consumer of baseball has a shorter attention span or needs a slightly more exciting product or something wrapped in a different way, it’s going to change anyways, so I think it’s great to think through those things ahead of time, honoring the tradition of the game, as our commissioner does, and being thoughtful about it.
“Dialogue doesn’t hurt. Conceiving new ideas doesn’t hurt. Thinking through and implementing the ones that make sense in the big picture so you can capture the young fan, that makes all the sense in the world. We’re supportive of the dialogue and we trust the commissioner and the game overall to do what’s right.
“There will be some changes I’m sure, along the way. But I think the essence of baseball will never be lost. That’s what makes this sport great. And the timelessness of baseball will never be lost. But there will be some changes along the way, and I think 20-30 years down the line you’ll look back and say ‘That was a great idea and we’re still really popular because we were willing to embrace change on our own terms instead of being reactive after we’ve lost a generation of fans.”
MLB is also considering moving up the strike zone in 2018 to force pitchers to bring the ball up and theoretically give hitters more chance to make contact. They can implement the changes unilaterally in 2018 without the permission of the players union.
“I’d love it,” Bryant said, adding the umpires do a good job. “You see more and more guys complaining to umpires, but I think that’s just because the game is getting harder and harder and guys are getting more frustrated.”
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