Major League Baseball made official its rule changes for the 2020 season on Wednesday, implementing a three-batter minimum for any pitcher and an expanded regular-season roster.
The new pitching rule is the major change, designed to speed up the game by eliminating some pitching changes. Any starter or reliever must face three batters, or pitch until the inning is over, before coming out of the game.
This will, for example, effect the usage of a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen, often brought in to face a left-handed batter before another pitching change. An exception to the three-batter rule is if the pitcher is injured or ill; he could be taken out with the approval of the umpires’ crew chief.
The three-batter rule goes into effect during spring training on March 12.
