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Tradition vs. Time: The New Standing Ovation Rule in MLB
THE NEW STANDING OVATION RULE IN MLB TRADITION VS. TIME
When Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record and played in his 2,131st consecutive major league game, fans showered him with a 22-minute-long standing ovation. When Ichiro Suzuki walked off the field in the final game of his career, he, too, received a standing ovation. In his final game with the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez also got a big standing O. Standing ovations are a large part of baseball as fans will spontaneously honor players for stellar careers, broken records, or incredible performances. However, sometimes, like in the 22-minute Cal Ripken ovation, they can consume a lot of game time. Early in the 2023 season, Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger received a pitch clock violation because of his standing ovation from Dodgers fans for returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers stadium (his former team). After the ovation died down, Bellinger was forced to start his batting count 0-1. To be penalized with a strike for an ovation didn’t sit well, and it sent his fans into a complete uproar. Although the pitch clock is designed to keep games moving quickly with fewer interruptions and improve the baseball experience, fans were not entertained in this case.
In an effort to improve the pace of the game and to include ovations, MLB teams are now required to submit a request 24 hours in advance for potential standing ovations to avoid a pitch clock violation. Now, teams and fans can celebrate these special moments of baseball’s past and present while keeping games on track. While this new rule seems cumbersome, MLB hopes it will help balance sometimes competing aspirations: improving the pace of the game while embracing the sport’s traditions of acknowledging great players. Teams will now do their best to predict when drawn-out ovations will occur and submit their requests on time. It’s a balancing act to keep everyone happy, celebrate the players, and honor the game’s history and milestones.
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