Baseball Mound Visit Rules
Throughout the course of a baseball game, managers and pitching coaches will visit their pitchers on the mound from time to time in order to talk strategy or calm their nerves in a big situation. For most of the history of baseball, a team could do this however many times they wanted to during the game. Beginning in 2018, however, these mound visits were limited. Read on to learn all about mound visit rules in the MLB.
Definition
Beginning in 2016, MLB limited the amount of time that a coach could visit the mound to thirty seconds. Prior to this, coaches could be out there a few minutes at a time at the umpire's discretion, and it would really slow the pace of the game down. In 2018, the MLB limited the number of mound visits a team could have during a game to six. This number was then reduced to five the following season, where it still is today. Mound visits where a substitution is made do not count as one of the five, and extra mound visits are added for every extra inning played.
Penalty
There is no real penalty to the mound visit rule, as there is no real way to violate the rule. If a team is out of mound visits and a coach attempts to go to the mound, the umpire will simply stop them and not allow them to do so. Under varying circumstances, the umpire may grant a team an extra mound visit. The most popular instance of this happening is when a cross up occurs between the pitcher and catcher. In other words, the catcher calls for one pitch, but the pitcher throws another, so they are clearly not on the same page.
Rules Summary
- Members of the coaching staff can make one mound visit per inning.
- Mound visits can only last thirty seconds at a time.
- Mound visits are limited to five per nine innings.
- Mound visits where a substitution was made does not contribute to the five visit limit.
- Extra mound visits are added for every extra inning played.
- Depending on the circumstances, a team may be granted another mound visit by the umpires.
History
Mound visit rules were introduced as a part of MLB’s desire to speed up the game and have less “dead time” during the game where nothing exciting was happening. When teams were making a lot of mound visits and taking a long time during each one, it was bogging the game down.
By limiting the time of each visit to thirty seconds and limiting the number of total visits, MLB aimed to have more of a focus on the action itself. MLB hopes to make the game faster in order to attract a younger audience, as their fanbase is much older than their fellow sports leagues in the United States. In order for the sport to continue growing, MLB must attract the younger fans, and speeding up the game is a part of that process.
Similar Rules to Mound Visit Rules
- Player Disengagement Rules
- Pitch Clock Rules
- Pace of Play Rules
FAQ
What is a mound visit in baseball?
In baseball, a mound visit occurs when a pitching coach or manager goes to the mound to talk to their pitcher about strategy or calm them down in a big situation during the game. Prior to 2018, teams could have as many of these meetings during a game if they want. That year, MLB began limiting the number of mound visits a team could have during a game in order to try and speed up the game.