Nippon Professional Baseball is looking to implement its new revised guidelines for preventing home-plate collisions in time for the start of the second half of season.
NPB secretary general Atsushi Ihara said Thursday chief of umpires Masato Tomoyose and his staff will visit the 12 teams to explain the reviews to managers and coaches, and will hold an internal rules committee meeting to gain consensus on July 16 when the second All-Star game is scheduled.
The point of contention has been the enforcement of the guideline introduced this season that strictly prohibits fielders from remaining in the third-base line as runners approach the plate.
The committee is now looking to make sure the decisions will be based on whether a fielder’s action actually led to a collision when it occurs.
“We’ll take into account all the questions and opinions from each team before putting things together. We’ll try not to be premature, and make sure they understand (the points),” Ihara said.
The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association will discuss the matter at an extraordinary meeting on July 15, the first day of the two-day All-Star series.
