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Let’s talk about the ‘roll the inning’ rule

As you know, there are a number of rule tweaks — I wouldn’t call them “changes” because they’re only temporary — for games this Spring Training. This is being done to keep players healthy as they ramp up from not having had a full season in almost 18 months.

Here’s one rule change that’s been vexing some fans:

For games that occur from February 27 (or 28) through March 13, Official Baseball Rule 5.09(e) (“Retiring the Side”) shall be relaxed, such that defensive managers may end an inning prior to three outs following any completed plate appearance, provided the pitcher has thrown at least 20 pitches.