If I were the MLB commissioner for a day

Baseball is a sport where you either love it or you hate it. For fans who hate it, a big problem is the length of the games. For a viewer on the east coast, west coast games start at 10:05 EDT and can end as late as 2AM  or even 3AM. The MLB has tried tinkering with the rules by putting a time limit on mound visits. In the minor leagues this season if the game goes to extra innings, a runner will automatically start at second base. The thinking is that with three outs to play with and a runner in scoring position, odds are the hitting team will be able to get that run across before they make three outs. If I were commissioner for a day, I would drastically improve the speed of games. This would be accomplished in three ways: limiting the length of mound visits, limiting the time to throw a pitch, and limiting the amount of time a batter can step out of the box.

For the first part of my master plan, the pitcher can only be visited twice per 9 innings. If the game goes into extra innings, each team gets an extra mound visit. It can get ridiculous the number of times a catcher visits the mound in a single inning. If a pitcher is struggling to find the plate, give him a chance to work out of it. Further, every pitcher should not require a mound visit. If a team chooses to visit the mound a third time in regulation, they will lose a replay challenge, If a team has no replay challenge, the mound visit cannot take place. Scouting on batters should occur in the dugout between innings or in the bullpen as he pitcher is warming up,

The second part of my plan is to have a 30 second clock start running the moment the catcher leaves his squat after calling time. If a team exceeds the time limit, the penalty is an automatic ball. If the batter already has three balls against him, he receives a walk, Similarly, batters should have a 15 second clock the moment they call time (shorter time given because the batter doesn't walk to the pitcher's mound and back). Exceeding the allowable time results in a strike or strikeout if the batter is already down three strikes. In terms of time to throw a pitch, I will allot 20 seconds. Period. There will be no added time if a runner is on base. The clock starts the moment the pitcher gets ball in glove. Penalty for not throwing in the allotted time is a ball to the batter.

Finally, I would limit the number of times a batter can call time to once an AB. Some batters are notorious for stepping out constantly to adjust their batting gloves or fiddle with their bat. Just get in the batters box ready to swing!

There were three lengthy extra inning games today that went over 4 hours. One was from the AL West and that game ended after midnight in the east.