MLB just made a rule change to allow a no-pitch intentional walk. I think it's kind of silly as it's really not going to save that much time in a game, and I've seen instances where there's been a consequential wild pitch or the batter actually reaching out for the pitch and getting a significant hit. They just made the game a bit more sterile.

 

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/217662248/mlb-intentional-walk-time-limit-on-replays/

As far as I'm concerned, this is being overblown on both sides.

 

To anyone who thinks this will help speed up the game, no it won't.

 

To anyone who says that you're ruining the possibility of something exciting happening during the intentional walk, how many times in the past century has anything eventful happened during an intentional walk? 5? 10? Not enough to be a consideration, and not enough to say you're changing the game by doing this.

 

Talk to me when they put in a pitch clock and eliminate commercials, the second of which will never happen. I do wish that they would enforce the newer rule that requires batters to stay in the box between pitches. That helps a bit.

Nevermind the intentional walk, what's this bs with 5.07? Watching Carter Capps give everyone fits was half the fun.

Totally ridiculous. If you want to speed up the game, don't allow the batter to step out of the box unless he had swung the bat. And don't let the pitcher leave the mound unless contact was made with the ball the pitch earlier.

Nevermind the intentional walk, what's this bs with 5.07? Watching Carter Capps give everyone fits was half the fun.

 

I can kind of see the rational as it gets his release point artificially closer to home plate.