5 moments when intentional walks were great

The end of the four-pitch intentional walk in Major League Baseball could be near.

It was reported Monday that the league made a formal proposal to the players' union that would see the rule changed for the 2017 season. Instead of having pitchers throw four balls to intentionally walk a batter, teams could signal their intention and give them first base immediately.

The change would add to commissioner Rob Manfred's efforts to speed the game up while also eliminating a seemingly unnecessary element, though it would rob us of some potentially entertaining moments.

Here are some of the most notable ones from previous years:

'What a smart play by Cabrera'

June 22, 2006: Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera hits a go-ahead RBI single to cash in Hanley Ramirez in the 10th inning, after Baltimore Orioles reliever Todd Williams came too far inside on what was supposed to be an intentional walk. The Marlins would go on to win 8-5.

'He bluffed him and it worked'

September 5, 1997: Tony Pena made a habit of taking advantage of players napping at the plate. With one out in the eighth inning and runners on second and third, the Houston Astros catcher tricked Brian Johnson of the San Francisco Giants into believing he'd be intentionally walked, only to catch the ball down the middle of the plate for the strikeout.

'They try a pitchout and Sanchez clubs the ball'

September 10, 2016: New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez hit everything in sight during his rookie season, including pitches that were meant to be balls. With no outs and a pair of runners in scoring position, the Tampa Bay Rays tried to load the bases by pitching around Sanchez, but the 24-year-old almost took it out of the park instead. The sac fly ended up plating a run.

'This is history'

May 28, 1998: How feared was Barry Bonds during his career? Well, the Arizona Diamondbacks once opted to give the San Francisco Giants a free run to avoid facing him. With two outs and the bases loaded, and the D-Backs clinging to an 8-6 lead in the ninth, skipper Buck Showalter ordered an intentional walk. The shocking move actually paid off, as Brent Mayne followed Bonds by lining out to right to end the game.

'That was a WILD pitch'

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

September 1, 2011: It's amazing how pitchers have such pinpoint accuracy when firing a ball into the strike zone, but struggle when it comes to lofting it to the catcher during an intentional walk. In what was just his 19th major-league start, Kansas City Royals rookie Danny Duffy uncorked one of the wildest pitches during an intentional walk, completely clearing the glove of his catcher. Luckily for Duffy, Cabrera wasn't paying attention at second base and was only able to advance to third.