MLB and the Players Association finally agreed to end the lockout on Thursday.
After removing the giant roadblock that represented the international draft (they postsponed that discussion by establishing a July 25 deadline to decide), both parties came to an agreement to play baseball.
One of the things both parties already agreed upon was the implementation of larger bases by 2023.
The 2022 campaign will be played with the regular, 15-inche square bases, but for next year, they will be 18 inches square.
Several jokes have appeared on Twitter about the size of the bases, but the one posted by former All-Star Bret Boone (brother of current New York Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone) may be the funniest.
These new MLB bases look great😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/RthoKXRbDe
— Bret Boone (@theboone29) March 9, 2022
“These New MLB Bases Look Great”
Imagine seeing the Man of Steal, Rickey Henderson, holding his iconic base, but MUCH, much bigger.
“These new MLB bases look great,” Boone said, with laughing emojis.
It was truly a hilarious moment on Twitter, one of many during the MLB lockout.
MLB wants to minimize the odds of a baserunner or a fielder getting injured in typical rundowns towards first base, where the fielder has his foot on the base while waiting for the ball and the runner is applying full speed to beat the throw.
The league also wants to avoid runners being tagged out on stolen base attempts when they run so fast that they go through the base in the slide: a bigger base may help them to have more surface to touch.
Overall, it seems like a positive change by MLB, and few people have complained.
NEXT: MLB Is Ditching Two Extremely Unpopular Rules