Baseball purists, rejoice, because two major controversial rule changes could be on their way out. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday he doesn't see seven-inning doubleheaders or the runner-on-second extra-innings rule as things that will continue in the long term.
Both rules were implemented as the league prepared to play through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They were introduced as a way to conclude games quickly. With the pandemic altering team schedules, MLB hoped shorter games would mitigate wear and tear on players.
With the MLB schedule getting back to normal, the league can now explore reverting those rules back to where they were pre-pandemic.