Some fans think that nine is a sacred number in baseball. Nine players. Nine innings. Except it's been perverted all along and continuing.
Extra innings have been around for a long time to settle a tie after nine innings instead of just letting it be a tie. How to factor a tie into the standings? Pick a way. Just go with winning percentage (really average). Use some point system like hockey or soccer. Whatever.
Seven innings in game two of a doubleheader was introduced in the plague anomalous 2020 season but that has been done for years in minor league doubleheaders. Why two fewer innings and why in game two? Why not two eight inning games, splitting the two fewer innings among both games? Or two seven inning games?
Nine players in the American League has been ten since 1973 with the introduction of the designated hitter (DH), which may also be used in the National League in 2021 after both used it in 2020.
MLB should not be locked into nine in any way. Eight batters is much better than either the DH or non MLB quality batters, a.k.a., pitchers.
8 batters and starting each inning with top of order fix two dumbest things on the field. Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Start each inning with the top of the order. Tuesday, July 17, 2018
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Why doesn't the player's union push for 12 batters in the lineup? Friday, December 4, 2020
Player's union opposition is the practical reason given for why my idea about 8 batters wouldn't be proposed much less adopted ...
I am not advocating this. It would dilute the batting order and have the best hitters coming up even less frequently than now...
No, I am calling out the player's union for being tone deaf to the entertainment value of MLB. An 8 batter lineup would be far more entertaining than either having the pitcher bat or having a DH bat for the pitcher.
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