As of today, it’s 60 feet, 6 inches no more.
This week, the independent Atlantic League moves their mounds back 12 inches to 61 ½ feet, part of the experimental set of rules they are using as a test for Major League Baseball. The Atlantic League is an official partner league of MLB – per the league, Atlantic League play is about equivalent to the Double-A level – and is using the 2021 season to test various potential rules changes for the future.
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs posted photos on their Twitter of the mound being moved back at their home stadium, which is about 25 miles southeast of Washington, D.C.:
This is the second rules change implemented by the Atlantic League as an experiment this year, the first being the “double-hook” rule that removes the DH at the same time the starting pitcher is pulled.
The League also was the first to test (and continues to use) automated strike zones – which have drawn some big-time consternation at times – that made it to the Low-A Southeast League this year, and in the past, they have been the test site for the three-batter minimum, which made it to the Majors.
The current rules being used in Double-A on shift restrictions, and the 18-inch square bases used in Triple-A this year, were also first experimented with in the Atlantic League.
“We are pleased to play a critical role in Major League Baseball’s tests and evaluation of experimental rules,” Atlantic League president Rick White told MLB.com earlier this year when the DH and mound changes were first announced. “The ALPB is a forward-thinking league, and it is satisfying to our teams and players to be leaders determining the future of our sport.”
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