In his time as MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred has both saved baseball (the pitch clock!) and ruined baseball (Astros non-punishments, ghost runners, expanded playoffs, TV blackouts). It’s been a whirlwind.
But if he does manage to implement the Golden At-Bat rule, there’s no question that MLB will fundamentally change. The rule — which would allow managers to choose any player to hit in a key moment once per game regardless of batting order — is something that any serious baseball fan would dismiss immediately. In fact, Manfred himself rejected the very thought of that rule in his first season as commissioner.
In an unearthed video from a 2015 Dan Le Batard Show interview, Jon “Stugotz” Weiner pitched the very idea of the Golden At-Bat to Manfred, calling it a “Magic At-Bat.”
"You're wasting my time…" – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to @stugotz790 back in 2015 when Stu first presented his idea for the "Magic At-Bat" in audio we just unearthed. Manfred recently said MLB is considering a rule change called….The Golden At-Bat.
WATCH:… pic.twitter.com/wOMaX0OtQ6
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) December 4, 2024
Instead of once per game, Stugotz wanted managers to be able to use it four (or five) times.
Manfred said:
“I’m with your friend. You’re wasting my time. It’s a crazy idea.”
And at the time, Manfred added that he wouldn’t want to implement a rule that interfered with the history and traditions of the game. He explicitly said that the suggestion would fall into that category. So, what changed now? That should be a question every reporter asks Manfred as MLB looks more into the rule.
It’s just not baseball. Manfred knew that in 2015, and he certainly knows that in 2024.
