MLB officially rolled out a series of rule changes for the 2020 season yesterday. Among them are a (definitely won’t be enforced) ban on spitting, use of the DH in National League games, and an extra-innings procedure similar to that in Minor League Baseball. As the title of this post suggests, we’ll be honing in on extra-innings today. To summarize the new rule:
- Every half-inning in extras will begin with a runner on second base.
- The runner on second will be the player in the batting order directly before that inning’s leadoff hitter, unless the manager elects to make a substitution.