DENVER (AP) — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says banning or limiting defensive shifts would be an effort to restore Major League Baseball to how it was played before offense was suffocated by analytics.
Speaking before the All-Star Game in Denver to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Manfred said seven-inning doubleheaders and starting extra innings with runners on second base likely will be dropped after this season. He said extending the DH to the NL could be possible.
Manfred said MLB was considering having umpires explain video review decisions to fans at ballparks over the public-address system, similar to the procedure in the NFL.
On other issues:
— Manfred wouldn’t say whether he would rule out any events in Texas if a law is adopted changing election laws in the state. The All-Star Game was awarded to Atlanta and what then was called SunTrust Park in May 2019. Manfred moved it to Denver because of a Georgia voting law that critics say will negatively affect communities of color. His decision generally was denounced by conservatives and praised by liberals.
— Manfred says the fate of the Athletics in Oakland will be determined in the next few months. A’s owners have proposed a new ballpark in the Howard Terminal area of Oakland. Manfred said if the stadium project is not approved, the team would move forward with either a move to Las Vegas or a wider relocation search.
— The commissioner was unhappy with flippant comments made by Dodgers president Stan Kasten that followed the start of the sport’s investigation of domestic violence allegations against Trevor Bauer. The Los Angeles pitcher was placed on administrative leave by MLB on July 2, three days after an allegation of assault was made by a woman against Bauer.
