We're two games into the new season and we've got at least two instances of Adrian Beltre forgetting, and quickly remembering, baseball's new pace of play rule that requires a batter to keep one foot in the batter's box during an at bat. Last night, in the first inning against Jesse Hahn, Beltre took a fastball outside for a ball and then carried out his usual routine of stepping out and looking down to third for any special instructions and then—oops! The new rule; better hop right back in there!
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Beltre did the same thing on Monday against the Athletics, so if there is one good thing about this new rule it is unquestionably the delight in watching players' brains working in slow motion as they try to erase sometimes decades of bad (??) habits.[MLB]