Baseball in Canada

[elly63]

One thing that stood out for me as someone who used to be a pretty big ball player but hasn't paid attention in years was the intentional walking of Ohtani.

The new (to me) rules to speed up the game are good and I don't think they affect the integrity of the game but this walking of Ohtani wasn't right.

He was walked five times in a row thus depriving the fans of seeing a star ply his craft and him demonstrating it. What's the point of being a superior talent if you are not allowed to show it? I can see this being a detriment to the game.

Perhaps a rule like a player cannot be intentionally walked twice in a row. Unfortunately, I realize, like his last at bat, he can be fed four balls.

BTW the coverage was fantastic, those shots of the close plays and tags, like getting Ohtani off the bag at second were fantastic. They show how difficult the umpire's job is and what a good job they normally do.