According to reports, the ghost runner is here to stay, at least for regular season Major League Baseball, and I absolutely love it.
Younger me would have considered this blasphemous. He was more of a traditionalist. Also, a National League purist who viewed the designated hitter as an abomination to all things pure and holy, but that’s a conversation for another day.
The ghost runner concept, which starts an inning with a runner on second base in extra frames, was implemented during the pandemic in 2020 as a tool to protect bullpens. With a truncated spring training due to the lockout, the rule continued into 2022.
The joint competition committee voted unanimously to adopt the rule.
Why am I for this gimmicky rule? It’s clearly, gimmicky. I won’t deny that. Let me list the ways.
For starters, it’s pretty fun. The pressure and anticipation are ramped up immediately. High-leverage at-bats become even higher leverage. You’re on the edge of your seat on the first pitch of extra innings, and I don’t hate that.
The rule has also created a new level of strategy, and there’s nothing more a baseball purist loves than strategy. There’s even something for you! Do you bunt the runner to third or play for multiple runs? Do you pinch-run? Do you intentionally walk a hitter? Which batter do you want to pitch to?
For those that miss small ball, it’s a throwback to a time when putting the ball in play and moving the runner over mattered. Fundies!
It’s fan-friendly.
I’ve been to more baseball games than any other sport. The count is well into the hundreds. I have never left a game early, outside of a handful of routs that have gotten out of hand (ten-plus run leads). But I can’t say that for most fans. This isn’t a flex. Just stating facts. If you’ve ever been there for the 16th inning, you’ve watched the crowds dwindle after each frame.
The new system makes it more likely fans will stick around (or keep their TVs on) for a 10th or even an 11th inning, knowing they are likely to see the game through.
It’s arm friendly.
So much of what has changed in the game from previous decades is related to protecting the valuable arms of pitchers. This rule does just that.
Finally, it’s team and quality of the game friendly.
As fun as a 16-inning marathon can be in the moment (for some of us), there’s a price to be paid, usually for both teams. Bullpens are left in shambles for the next series, which makes it tough on the teams and weakens the product on the field, short-term (next series) and even long-term (have you seen overworked bullpens late in the season?).
I would be against this rule in the playoffs, but for the regular season, one with 162 games and now has 12 teams advancing to the postseason, it was the right move by Major League Baseball. And how often can you say that?