MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced yesterday that there would be pace of play changes for the 2018 season whether people liked it or not. That includes fans, MLBPA leadership, and of course the players.
Jon Lester is not here for your pace of play changes
“It’s all terrible.”
Photo by Pool/Getty Images
On Friday, in the wake of that news breaking, at least one player was truly unhappy with the fact he’d be burdened with new rules for the upcoming season. According to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Jon Lester said it was “all terrible” and,
“The beautiful thing about our sport is there’s no time. To be honest with you, the fans know what they’re getting themselves into when they go to a game.”
So basically, the fans should suck it up and sit through the games they turned on knowing they’d be long. He’s not wrong, honestly. Baseball is what it is and it’s probably not going to get new fans to tune in for being a few minutes shorter every game. But pace of play changes are here anyway and maybe the perception of the sport will change enough to attract new people even if the actual time difference isn’t drastic.
Lester backed up his displeasure by explaining that mound visits (which are one of the victims of the changes) serve a purpose in the modern game beyond just being quick check ins between pitcher and catcher, because of technology used in stadiums.
“What people that aren’t in the game don’t understand is there’s so much technology now. There’s so many cameras on the field. Every stadium now has a camera on the catcher’s crotch, so they know signs before you even get there.”
Lester did admit that he was being “old school about it” but he’s not alone in his attachment to the old fashioned nature of the game and adhering to tradition. Yet of course the game has changed in many ways over the last few decades and this is just another change along the line.
Not everyone will like it, and once the changes are announced, it wouldn’t be a surprise for more players to make their opinions clear. But everyone is going to have to get used to it no matter where they stand.
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