A plan to adjust the time of batting practice so that fans would have the opportunity to see the home team's full practice for one weekend this July was turned down by the MLB Players Association, according to club sources.
Major League Baseball issued an advisory to teams Monday about the development.
For decades, home teams have taken their batting practice before the visiting teams, usually starting anywhere from 2½ hours to 3 hours before the scheduled first pitch. Almost all ballparks are opened to fans about two hours before first pitch, affording little time for them to see the members of the home team as they go through their pregame work on the field.
Major League Baseball and the union discussed the possibility of having the visiting team take batting practice first, followed by the home team, so that the home team's work could be seen in its entirety by fans. MLB hoped to use the revamped schedule in the first weekend series after the All-Star break, July 14-16, to give the home players more exposure to fans in their home ballpark.
When news of the proposal first broke, some players privately expressed concern about how the schedule would cut into the time of visiting players, who typically arrive later to the park than the home players, usually from the hotels where their respective teams are staying.
For now, there will be no change.