MLB commissioner Rob Manfred sees eventual lifting of pandemic-related rules for extra innings, doubleheaders

DENVER — BREAKING: Contrary to popular opinion, Rob Manfred may actually like baseball.

In a more traditional sense, and perhaps better aligned to what fans want to see, Manfred said Tuesday that his intention is to eliminate seven-inning games and the runner at second base for extras when pandemic-related rules (hopefully) are lifted for the 2022 season.

Both measures were instituted as part of the health and safety protocols when MLB and the Players Association reached agreement on the abbreviated 60-game season last summer. While there had been thoughts these rules could remain in some capacity going forward, as matters of efficiency and shortened time of games, Manfred sounded in favor of baseball returning to normalcy in a post-pandemic world.

"I see the extra-inning rule and the seven-inning doubleheader as rules that were adopted based on medical advice to deal with COVID-19," Manfred said during Tuesday’s meeting with the Baseball Writers Association of America. "I think they are much less likely to become part of our permanent landscape than some of the other rules we’ve talked about over time that relate to sort of how the game is being played."

Manfred can’t make these decisions unilaterally, of course. This is all tied to negotiations with the Players Association, and since the current CBA is set to expire in December, both sides have plenty on the table to discuss.

Some players already have said publicly they don’t mind the runner at second base and prefer the seven-inning format for doubleheaders, as those changes helped save on wear-and-tear over the course of an exhausting 162-game season. But neither seems to be an obstacle in the way of Manfred’s efforts to revert back to the original rules in those specific areas.

Manfred expressed an overall desire to "restore" baseball to the version that fans first embraced — seemingly a departure from the existing perception that he’s a commissioner obsessed with random changes in a sport married to tradition like no other. He believes that the recent crackdown on illegal sticky substances by pitchers is part of that — "I think that the process has already shown very promising effects in terms of the play of the game on the field," said Manfred, citing a spike in offense across the board.

Also, Manfred suggested there is momentum within the industry to regulate the frequent defensive shifts, which could result in a push to mandate having two infielders on each side of second base. Manfred answered the question by recounting a story of him as a 12-year-old watching the 1971 All-Star Game at a friend’s lakehouse in upstate New York.

"It’s not change -- it’s kind of restoration, right?" Manfred said. "That’s why people are in favor of it. And I think front offices in general believe it would have a positive effect on the play of the game. So I’m hopeful, without going into the specifics of rule-by-rule, that we will have productive conversations with the [Players Association] about -- let me use my words -- non-radical changes to the game that will restore it to being played in a way that is closer to, I think, what many of us enjoy historically.

"Remember, the game evolves. What we play doesn’t look all that much like 1971 and the question is: which version would you like to get to? That’s the way I think about it at least."

When it comes to abolishing the shift, Manfred does have allies among the players’ ranks, that’s for sure. Francisco Lindor has been very outspoken about his disdain for the obsessive use of analytical data to position defenses -- he believes it curtails the ability of players to showcase their athletic talents -- and union chief Tony Clark continues to express a similar viewpoint.

Clark had equal time Tuesday to address the BBWAA, but on the subject of rule changes, he deferred to the same position the union has preached for years during Manfred’s proposals and experiments (many of which are being tried at the minor-league level this summer).

"We will do everything we can to protect the game we love and work hard to play," Clark said. "There’s a business component to this. I’m not suggesting that there’s not. I’m simply saying that every conversation about changing the game is implying on some level that something’s wrong. For me, the question is: what has changed? Why has it changed. When you answer that question, then you can talk about what may need to be adjusted from there."

Manfred and Clark did chat briefly (and cordially) as the two crossed paths at the podium. But the only subject they agreed on -- for what it’s worth -- is the overriding importance of getting a new CBA done and avoiding a labor-related work stoppage next spring. Based on the acrimonious nature of last summer’s negotiations, there is a legitimate concern.

"Our expectation hasn't changed, and our goal hasn't changed, which is to get a deal done prior to December 1," Clark said.

And Manfred? "Every single time, since I took over the labor job, that was our No. 1 priority," he said. "It worked out pretty good so far and it remains our No. 1 priority now."

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.