MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 5: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred speaks prior to the game between the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox on May 5, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Red Sox 4-3. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
How do MLB’s extra inning rules change in the postseason?
Despite Rob Manfred’s decision to experiment with new extra inning rules during the shortened regular season, the postseason regresses to the norm. There will be no runners at second base to start an inning this October, to the benefit of all fans against such regulations.
The new rule was met with mixed reviews by those who’d rather see Manfred not tamper with the game. Of course, baseball must evolve, but to so dramatically change such a staple seems like the league is going too far.
In similar fashion to the shootout in the NHL, the rules are reset to their previous form in the playoffs.
Players don’t even love the rule change in the regular season
“That rule stinks,” Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle said. “There’s a hope that these rule changes don’t set a precedent moving forward, either. That MLB didn’t use the season to change the landscape and overhaul some things — like the playoff structure.”
The playoff structure itself is under critique this year. Manfred seems in favor of expanding the postseason long-term, rather than using this season as a gimmick or test run.
The postseason isn’t a time to experiment. While the new rule was designed to shorten the game, it hasn’t done so thus far.