It’s no secret that Major League Baseball is getting creative with the 2020 season. With the goal of keeping teams as healthy as possible while squeezing in a 60-game regular season and playoffs, some rule changes are being put in place.
One of those rules is starting all extra innings with a runner on second base -- a rule designed to keep games from going into the 14th or 15th inning or beyond, draining players and potentially burning out bullpen arms.
But don’t count Yankees’ reliever Adam Ottavino as one of the fans of that new rule.
“It’s just not real baseball,” Ottavino said on Tuesday following his appearance in the Yankees’ intrasquad game. “You get used to it, but I don’t particularly like having a runner out there that I haven’t earned, for him to be out there. It’s not my favorite rule, to be honest.”
The right-hander doesn’t expect the rule to change his mentality on the mound, but he knows that it will change the strategy of the game for both teams.
“I think the biggest thing is defending the bunt, but I’ll be going out there trying to strike the guy out and not let them steal third and keep (the score) there, because obviously one hit will win the game for us if I keep them at zero,” Ottavino said. “I don’t know if it changes a whole lot. It’s kind of like, you know, I come in plenty of times with guys on base, but I think it’s just figuring out if they’re going to bunt or not.”
The 34-year-old, of course, is an integral part of the Yankees’ dominant bullpen. In 2019, his first year in pinstripes, Ottavino had a career year, pitching to a 1.90 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 66.1 innings.
Featuring one of the games’s filthiest sliders, Ottavino was a nuisance for right-handed hitters, as they batted just .177 off of him.
Ottavino proved during his first season with the Yankees that he can thrive in the New York spotlight, and even though there won’t be fans in attendance this season, his focus on the mound will be as strong as ever.
“I do like pitching in front of the home crowd, especially with two strikes when they get loud and all that, but I don’t think the crowd is that much of a factor in my focus level. Usually it’s just the situation,” Ottavino said. “You’re pitching in a tie game or a one-run game. You have a lot of internal drive at that point to lock in and do what you need to do.
“I don’t think the crowd is as huge of a factor as somebody might think. I’ve been working my whole life to kind of block out the crowd, so now I don’t have to try as hard for that.”
The righty could take on an even more prominent rule in the back of the Yankees’ bullpen in 2020, with fellow right-hander Dellin Betances moving on to the Mets.
Ottavino is as confident as ever in what the Yankees’ bullpen can achieve, and in a 60-game season, that bullpen could be an even greater luxury.
“I think we have a great staff overall, and I know this year is going to be shaped a little different because of the shortened season. I feel like we’re going to be able to utilize everybody and we are deeper than most teams,” Ottavino said. “I feel like that’s an advantage in any length of a season, but especially in a year like this when the starters maybe aren’t ready to go seven, eight innings. We can kind of go with our strength right away and run with it.”