MLB Rumors: 6-Inning Minimum for Starting Pitchers Considered as Possible Rule Change

There is "some belief" around MLB that starting pitchers should be required to play a minimum of six innings before leaving the mound, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

MLB is discussing the potential rule change as part of a goal to "restore the prestige of the starting pitcher," Rogers reported.

The league has proposed some exceptions to pitching a full six innings, including the pitcher suffering an injury, exceeding 100 pitches or allowing four earned runs, per Rogers.

The new rule would require "years of advance notice" before it could be implemented by MLB, Rogers noted.

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That delay is because teams would need to start implementing the six-inning minimum in the minor leagues to ensure prospects could handle the workload in the majors, Rogers reported.

MLB starters currently must go five innings to qualify for a win, while there is no inning minimum to record a loss.

Starters are currently averaging 5.25 innings at the major league level and 4.3 innings in Triple-A, according to ESPN Stats & Information data cited by Rogers.

Only 21 pitchers have pitched complete games this season, and only the Toronto Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman and Atlanta Braves' Max Fried have recorded more than one.

That would make a six-inning minimum a significant change to how starters are currently implemented. Pitches per start have decreased fairly consistently over the last 15 years (h/t FanGraphs' Ben Clemens) as teams worked on improving their starters' efficiency.

The change would also end the possibility that MLB teams could experiment with openers, as first consistently used during the 2018 season by the Tampa Bay Rays.

But Rogers still believes MLB, which already made a major adjustment to pitching by implementing the pitch clock before the 2023 season, could seriously consider the change in the future.

"As we learned with the implementation of the last set of rules, MLB is willing to take seismic action when the league believes it is for the betterment of the game," Rogers wrote.

Rogers concluded: "The goal is to see a star pitcher on the mound for as long as possible as frequently as possible — and a six-inning minimum is a potential path to making it a reality."

MLB could use other methods to encourage teams to leave starters in longer, such as implementing a five-batter minimum rule for relievers, as noted by Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen to Rogers.

If MLB decides to take the next step toward implementing mandated inning minimums for either starters or relievers, the rules could first be tested in the Atlantic League. The league has in the past allowed MLB to test out new rules there before implementing them at the Double-A or Triple-A levels.