The Kansas City Royals took full advantage of Major League Baseball’s new extra innings rule – which allows each team to start the inning with a runner on second – by scoring the go-ahead run in a 3-2 victory over the Indians on Saturday without recording a hit.
Mike Clevinger, who started the game for Cleveland, took to Twitter to sound off on the new rule for the 2020 season.
“This new extra inning rule is the whackest s*** I’ve ever seen,” he tweeted. “Do you have any idea ho hard it is to get a runner to second off the back end of a bullpen?!!! #ThisIsntTravelBall #MakeThemEarnIt @MLB.”
The Royals began the top of the 10th inning with pinch-runner Brett Phillips on second base. Pinch-hitter Erick Mejia successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Phillips to third base. Maikel Franco stepped up to the plate next a flied out to center field, deep enough that allowed Phillips to tag up from third and score the go-ahead run.
Of course, the Indians had their chance in the bottom of the 10th with a runner on second, and Royals pitcher Greg Holland put the go-ahead run on first when he hit leadoff batter Bradley Zimmmer.
But Holland settled down and struck out Cesar Hernandez, Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor to end the game.
The new rule was put into effect just for the 2020 season in order to prevent games from extending too long in this pandemic-shortened season, but Clevinger is far from the only player in the league who has taken exception to it.
A handful of Yankees pitchers were critical of the rule prior to the start of the season, with Adam Ottavino calling it “not real baseball.”
Surely, they are not alone in their feelings and there could be more criticism to follow as the season progresses.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram