J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on Friday in Philadelphia. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

By Luca Cacciatore    |   Friday, 09 September 2022 10:23 PM EDT

The MLB Players Association issued a statement opposing big changes to the league after a set of rules passed despite opposition from the group's representatives, ESPN reported.

On Friday, the MLB approved a ban on defensive shifts, the implementation of a pitch clock and an expansion to the size of bases after a joint committee made up of one umpire, four players and six ownership-level representatives voted to pass them.

But comments Friday evening by the players association indicate every single one of their representatives voted against the shift and pitch clock measures. The pitch clock has experienced a long test run in the minor leagues.

"Players live the game — day in and day out. On-field rules and regulations impact their preparation, performance and, ultimately, the integrity of the game itself. Player leaders from across the league were engaged in on-field rules negotiations through the Competition Committee, and they provided specific and actionable feedback on the changes proposed by the Commissioner's Office," the statement read.

"Major League Baseball was unwilling to meaningfully address the areas of concern that players raised, and as a result, players on the Competition Committee voted unanimously against the implementation of the rules covering defensive shifts and the use of a pitch timer," it added.

The MLB has argued its new rules "will return the game to a more traditional aesthetic" by encouraging more balls to be in play and speeding up the game.

According to the new pitch rules, the ball must be delivered to the home plate within 15 seconds when there are no runners on base and 20 seconds when at least one runner is on base.

"The players' point of view is that we would rather move slowly ... and keep making changes if we needed to, in a stricter direction, as opposed to going all the way strict and working backward from there," Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said.

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