THE RETURN of Major League Baseball will bring with it some of the most obscure rules in all of sports.
Spring training is underway in Florida and Arizona ahead of the 2025 season.
The MLB is a summer staple for sports fans.
Baseball is played at all levels across the United States.
But rules at the elite end of the game can be incredibly detailed.
One such law involves the umpires and their uniform.
Batters will be allowed to advance bases if the umpire becomes involved in a very unique way.
A pitch that lodges in either the umpire or catcher’s mask will allow the batter to move to first base.
The rule has rarely been seen in the pros and is one of the most obscure in the book.
That specific rule is not a new one in Major League Baseball.
But the league has announced two minor on-field rule changes for 2025.
One of them relates to defenders shifting.
Rules state that defensive teams can have no more than two infielders on either side of second base before a pitch is thrown.
Infielders must also be standing on the infield and not shifting into the shallow outfield.
Previously, if a team was in violation then the batting team could be awarded an automatic ball.
But batting teams are now granted a free base if there is a violation.
The second minor change involves players running through a base other than first on a force play.
The MLB cites an example, “If there are runners on first and third with two out and a ball is hit on the ground, the runner going to second base might opt to run straight through the bag rather than sliding in the hope that he’d get there faster and beat the throw.
“If that runner beat the throw and overran the bag, he would likely get caught in a rundown and be tagged out.
“But it would enable the runner from third to score on the play before the third out was recorded.
“In the past, if a runner was called out at second in this scenario, and upon review a replay official found that he actually did beat the throw before going past the bag, the umpires would have to ignore that the runner overran the base and place him on second.
“The rule change gives umpires the power to call the trail runner out for abandonment of second base even if he beat the throw.
“He is considered to have abandoned the bag as soon as both feet land on the other side of the base.”
The 2025 season is already underway with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-game series win over the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan.
Opening day in America is set for Thursday 27 March.
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