Baseball's Newest (and Oldest) Rule Changes

Sports History This Week

March 27, 1986. Decades before pitch clocks and bigger bases, Peter Ueberroth, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, has to make a decision. He knows he’s going to upset players and fans, but something has to change. The World Series, the biggest baseball stage, should be fair for both sides. They need to play by the same rules.

With all the MLB rule changes coming this year, we’re taking a look back at the constant adjustments the game has made to be more competitive, more popular, and more fun. If baseball is always changing, why is everyone annoyed when changes happen? And how do the rule changes in 2023 fit into the history of America’s pastime?

Special thanks to our guests: Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com columnist and MLB Network contributor; Steven Goldman, consulting editor of Baseball Prospectus and host of "The Infinite Inning," a baseball history podcast; and Gary Thorne, longtime MLB broadcaster.

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