# How has Baseballl changed in the last 50 years? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [May 22, 2025, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654 "2025-05-22T08:44:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/81 "2025-05-24T04:54:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Ok, just saying “Be Back” doesn’t evoke his name but it’s among my all-time favorites of nicknames. I love that particular nickname, too, but it’s one of the ones that ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman coined (“Bermanism”), most of which weren’t commonly used for those players, other than by Berman himself. They were sometimes clever, but they were pretty much always puns based on the players’ names, like running back Eric “Sleeping With” Bienemy, or second baseman Chuck “New Kids On” Knoblauch. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/82 "2025-05-24T15:29:06Z")
Another change in the last few years is the introduction new alternative uniforms that teams are allowed to wear for some home games, called the City Connect uniforms. Most of them are pretty blah design-wise (imho) although the Washington Nationals cherry blossom one is not bad: [![](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/t_w2208/mlb/ep67mibznjqtwfcnrzaw.jpg) ](https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_16x9/t_w2208/mlb/ep67mibznjqtwfcnrzaw.jpg) Another change that has made no one happy except greedy team owners is that standard uniforms can now have an advertising patch on the sleeve. The Marlins have ADT security services, the Royals have some convenience store. Not all teams have one though it’s probably only a matter of time. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/83 "2025-05-24T15:57:51Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Another change in the last few years is the introduction new alternative uniforms that teams are allowed to wear for some home games, called the City Connect uniforms. Most of them are pretty blah design-wise (imho) although the Washington Nationals cherry blossom one is not bad: Even beyond the City Connect uniforms, it’s common now for teams to have multiple “alternate” uniforms. The picture below shows the Brewers uniforms from last year; in addition to their normal home and away unis, they have alternate home and away looks, plus their City Connect gear. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/31/MLB-NLC-MIL-Uniforms.png/330px-MLB-NLC-MIL-Uniforms.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/31/MLB-NLC-MIL-Uniforms.png/330px-MLB-NLC-MIL-Uniforms.png) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/84 "2025-05-24T16:17:31Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Ok, just saying “Be Back” doesn’t evoke his name but it’s among my all-time favorites of nicknames. > > I love that particular nickname, too, but it’s one of the ones that ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman coined (“Bermanism”), most of which weren’t commonly used for those players, other than by Berman himself. They were sometimes clever, but they were pretty much always puns based on the players’ names, like running back Eric “Sleeping With” Bienemy, or second baseman Chuck “New Kids On” Knoblauch. It was Bert “Be Home By Eleven”… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/85 "2025-05-24T17:27:59Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > It was Bert “Be Home By Eleven”… I’m sure you’re correct. It’s been a long time… It’s good to hear others remember this. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/86 "2025-05-24T18:19:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s good to hear others remember this. As a teenager in the early ‘80s, watching Berman doing baseball highlights on _Sportscenter_, I loved the punny nicknames. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/87 "2025-05-25T03:05:37Z")
I haven’t read the whole thread, so I don’t know if these have already been mentioned: Home runs are up. There were about 60% more homers per game in 2024 than there were in 1975. Complete games are a rarity now. In 1975 there were 1,052 complete games in MLB. In 2024 there were only 28. This is an even bigger change than it seems at first glance, because there were about 25% more games played in 2024 than in 1975. The trend of going to the bullpen early was accelerated by the realization that pitchers do significantly worse on their third time through the batting order than they do the first two times. Teams hardly bunt any more. In 1975 there were 0.48 sacrifice bunts per MLB game, and 0.41 bunts per game in the American League (which had the DH). In 2024 there were 0.09 bunts per game. SABRmetrics had a lot to do with this. Statistics show that sacrifice bunts reduce the number of runs a team scores. Teams mostly play big-inning baseball now, as opposed to small-ball (i.e. one-run strategies). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/88 "2025-05-25T03:43:28Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Home runs are up. There were about 60% more homers per game in 2024 than there were in 1975. And, there were just over 70% more strikeouts per game in 2024 than there were in 1975. As was noted upthread, the percentage of at-bats which end in one of the “Three True Outcomes” (home run, strikeout, or walk) is at an all-time high, despite the fact that walks are actually down now, compared to the '70s. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/89 "2025-05-25T04:17:32Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Another change that has made no one happy except greedy team owners is that standard uniforms can now have an advertising patch on the sleeve. The Marlins have ADT security services, the Royals have some convenience store. Not all teams have one though it’s probably only a matter of time. And the Blue Jays have the TD bank, and (I think) the Padres have Motorola. I don’t mind, as long as the ad logos don’t distract from the overall uniform. And they don’t, in my opinion. They’re a long way from soccer, where, “Who’s winning, Fly Emirates or Vodafone?” is a valid question, given that these companies get pride-of-place in big sizes on the front of players’ jerseys. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/90 "2025-05-25T05:23:06Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > TD bank Deleted ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/91 "2025-05-26T13:04:35Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Teams hardly bunt any more. In 1975 there were 0.48 sacrifice bunts per MLB game, and 0.41 bunts per game in the American League (which had the DH). In 2024 there were 0.09 bunts per game. SABRmetrics had a lot to do with this. Statistics show that sacrifice bunts reduce the number of runs a team scores. Teams mostly play big-inning baseball now, as opposed to small-ball (i.e. one-run strategies). This sort of trending isn’t new, exactly. After home runs became prominent in the 1920s, one thing that immediately started happening was stolen bases damn near vanished. By the 1950s, the average team was stealing 40, 45 bases a year. The entire average TEAM. Jackie Robinson, the most aggressive and frightening baserunner of his day, only broke 30 steals in a season once. Stolen bases only came back because the conditions of the sport changed. Larger stadiums and artificial turf made it both easier and more logical to try to steal. Ultimately, the best way to score runs is to get on base and hit homers. Steals help if you have guys who can steal at a high clip, but they will be pushed out by getting on base and hitting dingers. The flip side to that is that pitchers who strike out many batters are a better bet to continue being effective than pitchers who do not strike out many batters. That has always been true but teams now REALLY select for that. So we have two evolutionary forces working on the sport; on one hand it is best to select for hitters who get on base and hit dingers (considering their defensive abilities, of course.) On the other you want pitchers who whiff guys, but you are willing to accept hitters who whiff if they can get on base and hit bombs. So it’s natural to get a league where there are lots of homers and strikeouts, and no bunting or basestealing. So if you want a more varied game, you need to change the conditions of the sport itself. Reducing the ability of pitchers to throw over to first was exactly that, and it worked. There are many more stolen bases now, and it’s been, in my opinion, a HUGE improvement. Stolen base attempts are exciting and add variety and strategy. So how could they lower strikeout rates? Yeesh. It might take much more radical action. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/92 "2025-05-27T01:58:32Z")
I watched a College Game the other day and I noticed base runners were wearing sliding gloves. [https://www.amazon.com/sliding-gloves/s?k=sliding+gloves](https://www.amazon.com/sliding-gloves/s?k=sliding+gloves) ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/93 "2025-05-27T12:18:21Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > sliding gloves. Are sliding gloves new? I think it was Vince Coleman, might have been Griffey Jr, yet one of them would clutch a (batting) glove in order that they not bust their fingers on a head-first stolen base / non-force play. _clicks on amazon_ Oh I see, that is something very different. I reckon for the exact reason as I mentioned above. Those are just small baking gloves/mittens. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/94 "2025-05-27T12:27:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > So how could they lower strikeout rates? Yeesh. It might take much more radical action. Shrink the strike zone (which I guess means home plate too). Yet that will only lead to exciting walks. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/95 "2025-05-27T12:48:50Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > Shrink the strike zone (which I guess means home plate too). Yet that will only lead to exciting walks. Which is no solution. The goal should be to get balls hit into play. The forces that have caused strikeouts to rise are hard to work against. I can’t really think of a solution except to move the mound back a little, maybe six inches or so, which gives hitters a fraction more time to react. The other approach is somehow forcing teams to value pitchers who can pitch more than one inning and not always exert max effort. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/96 "2025-05-27T12:56:04Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Which is no solution. The goal should be to get balls hit into play. Another hypothetical would be to move the fences back. But those seats are worth moolah to the owners. That said I sure would like to see someone build Forbes Field 2.0, put 3 jackrabbits in the outfield, and have them chase down all those long fly balls. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/97 "2025-05-27T14:40:33Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The forces that have caused strikeouts to rise are hard to work against. I can’t really think of a solution except to move the mound back a little, maybe six inches or so, which gives hitters a fraction more time to react. > > The other approach is somehow forcing teams to value pitchers who can pitch more than one inning and not always exert max effort. The “Heisenberg limiter”: not only is a pitch required to go through the strike zone, it must also be within the strike speed. So any pitch over X mph is counted as a ball. (Set X to an appropriate value.) This will be practical once ball and strike calls are automated. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/98 "2025-05-27T15:07:59Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Another hypothetical would be to move the fences back. But those seats are worth moolah to the owners. Well, and redesigning a whole stadium and physically moving the fences is rather spendy. Coors Field’s fences are quite deep and they seem to make cash. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/99 "2025-05-27T15:31:18Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > The “Heisenberg limiter”: not only is a pitch required to go through the strike zone, it must also be within the strike speed. So any pitch over X mph is counted as a ball. (Set X to an appropriate value.) This will be practical once ball and strike calls are automated. I think it would be more practical to limit pitching changes. Starter/reliever. That’s it. No more one inning closers unless the starter went 8. Any pitcher that comes out for an “injury” goes on the DL for a month. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654/100 "2025-05-27T17:26:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > > > Another hypothetical would be to move the fences back. But those seats are worth moolah to the owners. > > Well, and redesigning a whole stadium and physically moving the fences is rather spendy. > > Coors Field’s fences are quite deep and they seem to make cash. Declare all out-of-the-park home runs to be foul balls? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-baseballl-changed-in-the-last-50-years/1018654.md?page=6)