MLB owners approve new rule intended to cut down on pitch-tipping, per report
Base coaches will be required to stay in their boxes until a pitch is thrown
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
First and third base coaches will have to remain in the coach's box until the pitch is thrown after MLB's owners voted to enforce the rule at their quarterly meetings Thursday, reports ESPN. The goal is to cut down on pitch-tipping, specifically the base coaches positioning themselves in a way to pick up a "tell" on the pitcher.
The Blue Jays and Dodgers were both asked to keep their base coaches inside the coach's box prior to Game 7 of the World Series last year, according to ESPN,.
Two years ago, the Blue Jays and Yankees traded barbs after Toronto took exception to Yankees' third-base coach Luis Rojas wandering outside his box. This has become a greater and more widespread issue within the last year or so as teams look to pick up on the pitcher's pitches, sometimes with a base coach looking directly into the pitcher's glove to see his grip.
Similar to the foreign substance ban a few years ago, this is not a new rule. MLB will merely ramp up enforcement of an existing rule that has often been ignored over the years. Rule 5.03(c) covers the positioning of first and third base coaches:
Base coaches must remain within the coach's box consistent with this Rule, except that a coach who has a play at his base may leave the coach's box to signal the player to slide, advance or return to a base if the coach does not interfere with the play in any manner. Other than exchanging equipment, all base coaches shall refrain from physically touching base runners, especially when signs are being given.
Base coaches who violate Rule 5.03 are given a warning for the first offense and are ejected for the second offense, and are subject to further discipline from the commissioner. The base coaches are allowed to move once the pitch is delivered. This most commonly comes into play when the third base coach comes down the line to throw up the stop sign or wave a runner home.
Picking up on a pitcher tipping his pitches, even by looking into his glove to see his grip, is not against the rules. That falls under on-field gamesmanship. Don't like it? Hide your grip better. Sign-stealing via electronic equipment has largely been eliminated thanks to the PitchCom system, so teams are looking for other ways to gain an advantage.
