The Baltimore Orioles took advantage of new rules that affect the way pitchers work.
The Maryland team stole 10 bases in its first two games of the season – five apiece – to become the first team since 1901 to do so.
The new rules state that pitchers have just 20 seconds between each pitch when there are runners on the bases. Furthermore, pitchers may only attempt two foot strikes per batter. From the third, if the runner is not out, he commits an illegal forgery.
A big hint of what we could see this season came in the Orioles’ 10-9 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Adam Fazier, who stole 41 bases in the first seven seasons of his career, got off to such a good start on his second steal that it was comical.
The Orioles already have Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins as the American’s top two stealers in 2022. Both players have committed seven steals in three games so far. If players like Frazier also get involved, we won’t know who to turn to.
Still, the Orioles finished at midfield with 95 stolen bases last season. The Texas Rangers led the Majors with 128. If the early days of the campaign are any indication, it will take much longer than that to finish at the top in 2023. Eleven teams are averaging a goal so far. .
The teams maintained a defense percentage of 83.3%, up from 75.4% last year, and there were 84 steal attempts in 50 games, an average of 1.68 per game. This is a 24% increase from last year’s average (1.36) and correlates with the 26% increase seen in minor leagues from 2019 to 2022 when the new rules were implemented.
Rookies in other parts of the MLB also took the opportunity to show off. New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who earned his job in training camp, stole a base in each of his three games.
The same goes for the St. Louis Cardinals, Jordan Walker. The young outfielder hit three singles and a double and stole a base in his first three games.
Only two teams have stolen more than 300 bases in a season since 1920: the 1976 Oakland Athletics (341) and the 1985 Cards (314). Will we see the first in 38 years this season?
