“The run game, preventing the run game, is something that we’ve talked about, we’re going to continue to talk about, because … the stolen-base attempt should increase a good bit, I think,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Coupled with new limits on what MLB calls disengagements - pickoff attempts or steps off the rubber - it’s more important than ever that pitchers are quick to the plate and strong-armed catchers stay alert with runners on.

Instead of waiting around for a three-run homer, big league teams could try a more aggressive approach on the basepaths. It doesn’t sound like much, but the impact could be considerable. The distance between third and home and home and first was trimmed by 3 inches. The new bases - “They look like a pizza box,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora cracked - cut down the distance between the bases by 4 1/2 inches. When the new rules were adopted by baseball’s 11-person competition committee in September, the four players on the panel supported the bigger bases and voted against the use of a pitch clock and limits on defensive shifts. The bigger bases - going from 15- to 18-inch squares - are part of a flurry of changes by Major League Baseball designed to put more action and athleticism back in the game and make it more appealing to a younger generation of potential fans. I just got to kind of keep playing with it and stepping on it and kind of like getting the feel for it.

“It’s definitely different, for sure,” said Machado, a two-time Gold Glove winner. Not only are the bases bigger, but they feel different, too. (AP) - Like a violin virtuoso using a new music stand, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado noticed a difference right away.

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