Major League Baseball is introducing bigger bases this season as part of a flurry of changes designed to put more action and athleticism back in the game.
PEORIA, Ariz. — Like a violin virtuoso using a new music stand, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado noticed a difference right away."It’s definitely different, for sure,” said Machado, a two-time Gold Glove winner."They look better. I just got to kind of keep playing with it and stepping on it and kind of like getting the feel for it. But it’s definitely different for sure.”
The new bases — “They look like a pizza box,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora cracked — cut down the distance between the bases by 4 1/2 inches. The distance between third and home and home and first was trimmed by 3 inches.Instead of waiting around for a three-run homer, big league teams could try a more aggressive approach on the basepaths.
In testing in the minors, two Triple-A leagues used the bigger bases for half of the 2021 season. One experienced a 2.2% increase in successful steals, and the other posted 0.7% increase. Of course, it also gives the majors' top defensive first basemen an even better chance of keeping runners off base altogether.
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