Rob Manfred on the State of Major League Baseball

Shohei Ohtani pitched and hit in consecutive innings, Peter Alonso defended his Home Run Derby crown, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sent a ball into orbit en route to an All-Star Game MVP. Before all the excitement began, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred addressed trending topics across baseball.

Rule Changes

With the onset of COVID-19, seven-inning doubleheaders and a man on second at the start of every inning after the 9th were put into place. Now, a year and a half later, Manfred was asked about the future of these changes: “It was a covid-related change. I don’t think that seven-inning doubleheaders are going to be a part of our future going forward.” Likewise, he had a similar view on a runner on second at the start of extras but remained brief.

Diversity Efforts

Manfred announced that the MLB will be donating up to $150 million to the Players Alliance over the next 10 years to increase black representation and more equitable systems across the sport. “Major League Baseball is thrilled to expand our commitment to the Players Alliance, which will include joint efforts to strengthen our sport’s engagement with Black communities,” Manfred went on to say. Here’s the commissioner on the importance of diversity:

Collective Bargaining Agreement

The CBA is set to expire on December 1st as many questions hover such as rule changes. The agreement will be negotiated between the Major League Player’s Association with head Tony Clark and the MLB led by Manfred. There has been growing tension between the owners and players due to doubt from the players about the intentions of the owners. On the other hand, the owners have been concerned about disinterest from the fans and are looking for rule changes to engage more people.

The second half of the 2021 MLB season is set to resume tomorrow night with the Yankees and Redsox at 7:00 PM.