Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is fine with Major League Baseball’s rule changes heading into the 2023 season, but the size of new bases has caught his eye.
MLB has increased the size of the bases – excluding home plate – from 15 inches to 18 inches, with the hope that it will reduce injuries and increase stolen bases.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora addresses the media after the final game of the season on Oct. 6, 2022, at Fenway Park in Boston. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
“The bases, they’re the bases,” Cora told reporters on Tuesday. “Wait until you see them. They look like a pizza box, to be honest with you.”
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“Talking to the minor league coaches and everybody that used the rules last year, it’s not that all the sudden we’re going to steal 100 bags with a guy,” he continued. “The value of the outs is still in play, and you get 27. So you have to be smart. You have to be efficient.”
The larger bases are just one of three notable changes implemented by Major League Baseball heading into the 2023 season.
Baseball has implemented a pitch clock that gives pitchers 30 seconds in between batters to deliver to the plate, 15 seconds in between pitches with the bases empty, and 20 seconds in between pitches with runners on base.
Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox watches the game against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Aug. 20, 2022, in Baltimore. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
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The pitch clock reduced minor league games by about 26 minutes last season, according to a report by MLB.com.
The third change is a ban of the defensive shift, with at least two infielders required to be on either side of second base.
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“We’ve tried to address the concerns expressed in a thoughtful way, respectful – always – of the history and traditions of the game, and of player concerns,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a September press conference, according to MLB.com. “Our guiding star in thinking about changes to the game has always been our fans. ‘What do our fans want to see on the field?’ We’ve conducted thorough and ongoing research with our fans, and certain things are really clear. No. 1, fans want games with better pace. Two, fans want more action, more balls in play. And three, fans want to see more of the athleticism of our great players.
Manager Alex Cora of the Red Sox during the Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on Oct. 5, 2022, in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
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“The rule changes we’re announcing today have been thoroughly tested and refined for years in the minor leagues. Each of these rules have been tested in approximately 8,000 minor league games dating back to last season, which is the equivalent of 3 1/2 complete Major League seasons.”
Major League Baseball also reportedly permanently adopted the “ghost runner” on Monday, used during extra inning regular season games.
