No rule adjustment to avoid tie games - MLB commissioner

Record ID: 394030

  • Title: No rule adjustment to avoid tie games - MLB commissioner
  • Date: 7th March 2017
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 7, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL COMMISSIONER, ROB MANFRED, TAKING SEAT IN NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL COMMISSIONER, ROB MANFRED, TALKING ABOUT RULES GOVERNING A TIE GAME IN JAPANESE PROFESSIONAL PLAY, SAYING: "We have never suggested the possibility of a major
  • Embargoed: 21st March 2017 10:12
  • Keywords: Rob Manfred Major League Baseball Sports World Baseball Classic
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Baseball,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA00166YN96N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed on Tuesday (March 7) that there will be no adjustment to game rules to allow for ending games in a tie.
    In the major leagues, teams play as long as it takes in extra innings to break a deadlock, but Japanese professional baseball games end in a draw if they remain scoreless after 12 innings.
    "We have never suggested the possibility of a major league game ending in a tie. This may be the most misunderstood suggestion that has been out there," said Manfred who is in Tokyo where a part of the first round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is being held.
    The same goes for the idea that in extra-inning games, teams would start the 11th inning with a runner on second base, a rule that has already been used in international play and is being implemented in the WBC tournament.
    "We never had any intention of bringing that rule to Major League Baseball. We adopted it and wanted to use it in the rookie leagues, which are essentially developmental leagues," said Manfred.
    Monday (March 6) saw the first game of the WBC held in Seoul.
    The WBC, boasting more than 60 former Major League Baseball All-Stars across the 16 national teams, takes place one month before the 2017 Major League Baseball season begins.
    Elite players such as pitcher for the Mets, Noah Sydergaard, opted to skip representing their national team in this year's WBC to focus on preparation for the next season with their team.
    The absence of some of the US major baseball stars in the WBC has led to questions regarding the significance of the competition.
    Despite scheduling difficulties faced by players, Manfred repeated Major League Baseball's commitment to the WBC.
    "There are challenges. The principal one is the calendar and it is something we need to continue to think about, to work on, to make sure that that challenge doesn't become a road block to the event becoming everything it should be," said Manfred.
    The second game of the WBC will be held on Tuesday (March 7) in Tokyo where Japan will take on Cuba.
    Japan has won the first two WBC tournaments in 2006 and 2009, beating Cuba and South Korea in the respective finals, while the Dominican Republic raised the trophy in 2013 after defeating Puerto Rico for the title.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register