{"id":559133,"date":"2026-03-25T06:09:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T06:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/559133\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T06:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T06:09:14","slug":"mlb-base-coaches-say-new-rule-to-curb-pitch-tipping-has-put-them-in-harms-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/559133\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB base coaches say new rule to curb pitch tipping has put them in harm\u2019s way"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Opening Day this week, some Major League Baseball coaches are going to take their positions on the field worried for their safety because of a rule change that they say raises the risk they\u2019ll be struck by line drives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s dangerous right now,\u201d said 76-year-old Dave McKay of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who\u2019s about to begin his 36th straight season as a first-base coach in the big leagues. \u201cIt really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teams complained to the league last year that first- and third-base coaches were veering outside their designated areas to get a better look at pitch grips, a potential competitive advantage for the hitting team if the coach can relay that information to the batter. MLB this year decided to clamp down<\/a> by revising and enforcing a rule it had almost always ignored: coaches now have to stay inside their designated boxes in foul territory, and umpires are newly going to police their movement.<\/p>\n

But in an age of 100-mph fastballs, and exit velocities off the bat that sometimes eclipse 120 mph, some coaches fear they\u2019re now in harm\u2019s way when batters rip screaming foul balls. The rule book, created in a bygone era, calls for the farthest edge of a coach\u2019s box to be 90 feet from home plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a dangerous situation,\u201d said Cleveland Guardians first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., who is entering his 17th season on the Guardians\u2019 staff. \u201cImagine Jos\u00e9 (Ram\u00edrez) hits a ball 115 mph, pull side. You don\u2019t have time to react.\u201d<\/p>\n

Base coaches in the past often drifted farther out, toward the outfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery third base coach, we\u2019ve all been talking about how you\u2019re constantly in danger,\u201d said Chicago Cubs third-base coach Quintin Berry. \u201cYou never get a chance to get out of there. You can\u2019t get out of harm\u2019s way, ever. And I get what they\u2019re trying to do. But you\u2019re not going to stop anything by putting people in a box.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many managers and coaches empathize with the desire to clean up wrongdoing. But some also worry the league has introduced a different problem along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw (Pirates third base coach) Tony Beasley get smoked the other day against us. I\u2019m not all-in on it,\u201d New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. \u201cWhere we can avoid sign stealing, that kind of stuff, I get it. Yes, in a perfect world, I want that. But they\u2019re in harm\u2019s way, bottom line. I don\u2019t love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

MLB is standing by its new enforcement, a decision it discussed in advance with MLB managers, but not coaches en masse.<\/p>\n

Last year, the league office determined via tracking data that base coaches often liberally moved toward the outfield without runners on base, a choice the league believes was rooted in an ulterior motive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout last season, including the playoffs, one of the most consistent complaints that we heard from clubs was base coaches leaving the coaches\u2019 boxes in order to identify pitch grips,\u201d MLB said in a statement to The Athletic. \u201cWe raised the issue with major-league managers at the winter meetings, and after hearing very clearly that they wanted us to take action, we agreed with the Players Association to increase enforcement of the coaches\u2019 boxes and the penalties for non-compliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to monitor the enforcement of the rule throughout the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Players Association declined comment.<\/p>\n

As drawn on the field, the coaching boxes \u2014\u00a0positioned in foul territory near to first and third base\u00a0\u2014 look like a three-sided bracket, closed off in every direction except backwards, away from the baseline. In its statement, MLB emphasized the freedom the coaches have to move in that direction: away from the field of play, and toward the dugout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have communicated to all 30 clubs that the base coaches are permitted to set up as far away from the foul line towards the stands as they like if they have safety concerns,\u201d the league\u2019s statement continued.<\/p>\n

But coaches are skeptical that allowance is sufficient.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you bring it closer to the dugout,\u201d said Boston Red Sox first-base coach Jos\u00e9 Flores, formerly a third-base coach in the big leagues. \u201cIf we\u2019re still 95 or 90 feet away, it\u2019s still dangerous. So, we\u2019re just thinking 100 feet, 115 feet away from the batter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said McKay: \u201cWhy even coach first base if you\u2019re all the way back toward the dugout? I can\u2019t do anything back there. I\u2019ve been doing this for 40-something years. I know where I have to be in order to do my job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Diamondbacks first base coach Dave McKay, shown here with infielder Ketel Marte, has tried to raise awareness on the issue. (Kevin C. Cox \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Baseball has already had a batted-ball tragedy<\/a> involving a coach. In 2007, Mike Coolbaugh, a first-base coach in the minor leagues, died after being struck by a line drive. He was 35. MLB subsequently mandated helmets for coaches.<\/p>\n

The league has also increased the amount of netting inside stadiums to protect fans in the stands. Linda Goldbloom, a 79-year-old fan, died after being struck in the head by a foul ball during a game at Dodger Stadium in 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some MLB officials believe the current situation leaves them between a rock and a hard place. The league has taken heat in the past for not proactively doing enough to prevent on-field rule-breaking, including during the electronic sign-stealing scandals.<\/p>\n

But coaches aren\u2019t convinced the league is effectively serving its end goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is, if there\u2019s anything out there being given as far as pitch tipping, guys are going to get it regardless, whether you\u2019re in the box or out of the box,\u201d Berry of the Cubs said.<\/p>\n

Baseball\u2019s rules continue to allow coaches and players to try to figure out what a pitcher is throwing and then signal to their hitters what\u2019s coming, so long as they\u2019re not aided by banned electronics. The difference now is that coaches can\u2019t leave the box to gather intel. Complaints about coaches inching up the base lines grew loud enough that umpires warned the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays before Game 7 of last year\u2019s World Series to cease any roaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always been a little bit of a floating third-base and first-base box,\u201d Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. \u201cThe fact that they have firmly put parameters on that for everyone, hopefully will make the topic a non-topic. The hardest part of that is safety for the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

MLB said that tracking data from its Hawk-Eye cameras showed third-base coaches last season often migrated closer to home plate when a runner was on second base. That observation suggested to MLB that coaches\u2019 safety concerns apparently lessened depending on the baseball situation.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s no shortage of voices concerned for safety as this regular season begins.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important role of the base coach is to be in a position to help the runners out and make good decisions on the base,\u201d Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cThat\u2019s their job. How can they do that job safely? That\u2019s what we should be figuring out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alomar of the Guardians and Flores of the Red Sox both likened being a base coach now to a fielder wearing no glove while playing infield-in \u2014 a defensive alignment that puts defenders closer to home plate and the swinging batter. The league\u2019s new enforcement, Flores said, amounts to doing so \u201cfor 125 pitches per game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMLB is the one that decides what we do and don\u2019t do,\u201d Flores said. \u201cTalking to our colleagues from other teams, we\u2019ve all come to the conclusion that it\u2019s extremely dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even going 10 feet farther away from the plate could help, Flores said, suggesting it wouldn\u2019t give coaches any greater advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you can see from 100 feet \u2026 it\u2019s not going to change any part of the game,\u201d Flores said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a bunch of balls getting hit throughout the course of spring training that coaches have been very close to getting hit \u2014 myself being one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKay of the Diamondbacks said he tried to talk to the league about his concerns, including Michael Hill, the league\u2019s senior vice president for on-field operations, to no avail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know they\u2019re trying to do the right thing,\u201d McKay said. \u201cI thought it would have been great if you got together with the base coaches and talked to the base coaches about all this. There are some people you say obviously are cheating. I don\u2019t even know what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re jeopardizing guys like myself and other first base and third base coaches who aren\u2019t cheating. You\u2019re putting them in harm\u2019s way. That\u2019s a problem. Someone\u2019s going to get hit, and it\u2019s not going to be an accident. Because you\u2019ve been told.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coaches on one National League team all had a similar refrain: These boxes were drawn up a century ago. Batters hit the ball much harder today. Why shouldn\u2019t the rule be updated?<\/p>\n

One base coach who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he\u2019d like to see a diagonal line drawn from the far edge of the coach\u2019s box. It would run toward the stands in right-field for first-base coaches, or the stands in left-field for third-base coaches. In essence, for every step a coach takes away from the plate, they\u2019d have to take a similar step backward, as well, theoretically minimizing any improvement in their view of the pitcher.<\/p>\n

McKay thinks to better their understanding, MLB officials should take a pitching machine and have it fire 100 mph fastballs at a protective screen near a coach\u2019s box.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch how quickly that ball gets there,\u201d McKay said. \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about 115 mph. We\u2019re talking about 100. Have that ball shot at you. Take a look at that. And you\u2019ll say, wow, that ball gets there pretty damn quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey insist the box is not going to move. So either you get in there, or get out altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the distressed coaches hope MLB will heed their concerns and make a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully we come to a little bit of an adjustment before the season starts or maybe early in the season where no one\u2019s at risk and everyone is at peace with whatever this rule is for,\u201d Yankees third-base coach Luis Rojas said.<\/p>\n

And if not, some base coaches might seek body armor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to come out with a pad that I can block (with),\u201d Alomar said, motioning like he was punching upward to deflect an oncoming ball.<\/p>\n

\u2014 With reports from The Athletic\u2018s Matt Gelb, Chad Jennings, Zack Meisel and Cody Stavenhagen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Opening Day this week, some Major League Baseball coaches are going to take their positions on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":559134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[485,495,3960,3966,3959,49,48,508,3961,3983,491,4021,490,1506,474,3962,487,3981,493,3965,462,475,3980,481,509,477,512,470,82,3982,480,3992,507,3968],"class_list":["post-559133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-athletics","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}