Exciting players and rule changes restore MLB’s luster

The Major League All-Star Game is less than a week away, which means I can’t stop thinking about the Rose-Fosse home-plate collision in 1970 or Reggie Jackson’s home run in 1971 that would have been in the moon’s orbit if not for the light tower at Tiger Stadium.

 

Those are two biggest memories of the all-star games I have. For the record, I was 10 in 1970 and lived 100 miles up the river from Cincinnati. I was witness to the Big Red Machine, the last greatest team money didn’t buy. And if you need proof of the talent on that team, Ken Griffey Sr. probably at best was the seventh-best position player on the team.

 

Fast forward 50 years later, and, to me, our National Pastime had fallen behind football and basketball to third-place on sports popularity pecking order. Baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy concurred with me that soccer probably has replaced baseball at No. 3, and that MLB is fending off lacrosse in an attempt to keep from falling into the No. 5 spot.

 

But before I bemoan baseball’s demise any longer, I admit I have seen MLB take some positive steps to make the game more appealing to its fans. It doesn’t help that you have a once-in-a lifetime player in play while a rookie in Cincinnati seems to have the talent and appeal that could make him baseball’s version of Michael Jordan.

 

That being said, here’s five things that have happened in 2023 that gives me faith baseball can restore some of its luster.

 

Sohei Ohtani: In case you missed it, Los Angeles Angel Ohtani on June 30 hit the longest homer of the year, a 493-foot blast against the Diamondbacks. He became only the fourth player in AL history to hit 15 homers in June. One of the four also included Babe Ruth, who was considered the best player ever because he could hit and pitch. That’s the same case for Ohtani, who is batting .310 with 31 homers. He also shines on the mound with a 7-3 record and a 3.02 ERA.

 

Ronald Acuna Jr.: If you follow the Atlanta Braves, Acuna needs no introduction. If you don’t follow the Braves, he still needs no introduction. He’s on pace to have the greatest season in MLB history. If he keeps it going, he’s on track to become the only player in MLB history to be in the 40-homer, 70-stolen-base club. Throw in 218 hits and 148 runs, and you are talking about the best outfielder in the game.

 

Elly De La Cruz: He’s 21, is 6 feet 5 inches tall and has the potential to be truly special. He plays for Cincinnati, and has been a big reason why the Reds are no longer called “the Deads.”

 

The switch-hitter is batting .297 with three homers and 12 RBI. He’s already hit for the cycle, but most importantly, when he plays, 43,000 fans pack Great American Ballpark, much more than the 3,000-4,000 who were in attendance back in April.

 

No more shift: OK, hitters had the advantage during the steroid era, and one of the byproducts was the use of three infielders on one side of the field, particularly against left-handed hitters. That led to a diet of strikeouts, homers or groundouts, groundouts that should have been hits. Without the shift, players are getting more hits, stealing bases and creating excitement.

 

Time clock: Thank goodness for the pitch clock. Remember when you could go buy a beer at the concession stand and get back to your seat with the same hitter at the plate. This led to 3½ hour games, which was more devastating than you think, because most of the future fans were usually in bed by 10:30 p.m. and had never watched a complete MLB game. In 2021, a game typically would last three hours and 10 minutes. This year? Two hours and 39 minutes. Mission accomplished.