Red Sox use shift loophole to counter Twins' Gallo
The Boston Red Sox may have found a loophole in Major League Baseball's new shift rules, and they put the discovery into play on Friday against the Minnesota Twins.
With a pull-heavy Joey Gallo at the plate, the Red Sox decided to move more than one of their outfielders to the right-field side of the playing field, essentially where teams used to position an extra infielder when shifting was allowed.
Defensive shifts have not been banned.
โ Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 3, 2023
Defensive shifts have been restricted.
Check it out. ๐ pic.twitter.com/w99NA7q0po
The alignment was legal, as MLB's new shift rules only apply to infielders.
At the start of each pitch, teams must have at least two infielders on either side of second base, with all four positioned on the infield dirt. Infielders may not switch positions unless there is a substitution.
Gallo ended up taking a walk after seeing the new defensive alignment for the first time, but he'll surely see plenty more of this throughout the 2023 campaign.