IBAF New Tie-breaker Rule More Than Controversial

I don’t like it. I really, really don’t like it.

The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) will introduce a new tie-breaking rule in extra innings for the Olympic baseball tournament. In the 11th inning, a team can lead off with anyone it wants in the lineup and put two guys ahead of him on first and second base. From the 12th inning on, teams will pick up where the lineup was left off, with two batters ahead of him also on first and second bases.

Unlike purists or traditionalists - I agree that baseball games need to be sped up. But, unlike the debates when basketball implemented the three-point line or when the American League adopted the designated hitter rule, this new IBAF rule alters the game instead of complementing it.

The beauty of baseball has nothing to do with games having no time limits. It is a sport where strategy and execution can be as powerful as the most dominant hitter or pitcher. Unfortunately, the IBAF new rule penalizes teams adept at manufacturing runs via bunts and hit-and-runs, and effectively makes managers almost obsolete in extra-innings.

During my six years coaching baseball in Europe - where too many players argue their not professionals so why train more than once or twice a week - I had to “fast-track” both drills and practice sessions without altering their player development benefits. And, this is the area that the new IBAF tie-breaking rule fails.

Eliminating several strategic and fundamental aspects of the game to appease the International Olympic Committee seems too big of a price to pay? Why not adopt the new high-octane baseball, the Mizuno 150 from Japan, which is currently used in the Cuban leagues in extra-innngs? Heck, giving batters a fourth strike would achieve the same goal as the new “tie-breaker” rule without turning the game into an All-Star event.

Change is inevitable, and baseball is a game of adjustments, so I’ll be a team player and hope that this new rule is a step towards getting baseball reinstated for the 2016 Games.

But, from a coaching perspective, I still don’t like it.

Marvin Moore can be reached at mjmoore@baseballdeworld.com