New York Yankees Brett Gardner’s pace of play fine is a joke

It appears that Major League Baseball is actually being serious about their pace of play rules, as they have fined New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner for taking too long to get into the batter’s box.

Major League Baseball has been harping on the pace of play for years. In theory, a lot of ills with the game, and a major reason why the younger folks does not appreciate baseball as much previous generations are because the game moves slowly. At least, according to the Commissioner’s Office.

It also appears that Major League Baseball is actually taking these concerns over the pace of play seriously. In order to drive that point home, they have fined New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner $2,000 for taking too long to get into the batter’s box in April and May.

Yup, a whopping two grand for taking too long to getting into the batter’s box. Considering that Gardner is making $11.5 million this season, it is not like he will be missing that money. This is essentially the baseball equivalent of someone being fined a quarter for driving too slowly on the highway. Pay the fine, and move along, albeit at a glacial pace.

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If this fine was meant to send a message to the players, it is certainly doing so. It is saying that while the commissioner is making a lot of noise about the pace of play, they really are not going to do much to enforce it. After all, exactly how much is Gardner going to miss two grand? Even a player making the minimum would not be hard pressed to come up with that fine.

However, it makes for a great headline, as long as one does not read too far into any related articles. Garnder fined for taking too long? Major League Baseball is really enforcing that pace of play policy! And then when it comes to the amount of the fine, one realizes how much of a joke that fine really is. Just like the hand wringing and teeth gnashing about games taking too long.

In reality, there really is not anything wrong with baseball. It is, by its nature, a longer game. There is no set time limit, as teams play until one is leading after the ninth inning or later. A game could go on indefinitely, as the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings attempted with their 33 inning contest. That is just how the game is designed.

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Giving New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner a fine for taking too long to get into the batter’s box makes for a great headline. But the fine itself is a joke, and shows exactly how serious Major League Baseball is about speeding up the pace of play.