"Larry Bird became Larry Bird because of 3-point line" - Reds HOFer cites Stephen Curry, LeBron James examples to defend 'Golden At-Bat' rule

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's newly proposed "Golden At-Bat Rule" at the recent owners' meetings has sparked debate, with some believing it interferes with the game's organic nature and others arguing it could add excitement.

The rule is simple: Managers will be allowed to send any hitter from their team to the plate at any time during the game. This means that, for example, if Aaron Judge strikes out in the ninth inning as the first out, Aaron Boone could have him return to the plate for another at-bat.

While the rule is still in the discussion stage, the idea has prompted several analysts to weigh in, including Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Sean Casey.

"Every night, you're guaranteed a moment. You're guaranteed a big moment of superstars going head-to-head. That's not guaranteed in every baseball game right now," Casey said Wednesday on "The Mayor's Office."

To make his point, Casey drew analogies to basketball stars like Steph Curry and LeBron James while explaining his support for the rule.

"What about when the 3-point line came into the NBA? Like, 'Aw, man.' Dude, Larry Bird became Larry Bird because of the 3-point line. Steph Curry — would he be Steph Curry without the 3-point line? There are so many guys who benefited from rule changes. Did that mess with the record books? Yeah, it did. It messed with the record books," Casey said.

"At the end of the day, we're seeing LeBron James take over as the all-time leading scorer. A lot of that has to do with the 3-pointers he hit throughout his career, which exponentially gave him more points than Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So, at the end of the day, things happen in sports that are good for the game."

Sean Casey thinks the Golden At-Bat Rule could excite Gen-Z baseball fans

With the rise of the new "Gen Z" fanbase, highlight reels — particularly those showcasing clutch moments — can quickly go viral. However, in baseball, it’s rare for a player like Shohei Ohtani to step to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded in a high-stakes situation.

Sean Casey believes that if the Golden At-Bat Rule rule was introduced, it would generate excitement and draw more interest from younger fans.

"I'm just saying, Major League Baseball has the analytics of this generation, of millennials and the fans watching now," Casey said. "They're not just doing this on a whim. They're doing it intentionally."

"Like I said, Theo Epstein once told me, 'Case, my kids don't necessarily love baseball, but if the Golden at-bat happened the next morning on the MLB.com app, they'd be tuning in to see the 30 Golden at-bats and then go about their day.' Right. So it brings in a different viewership."

What do you think about the "Golden At-Bat" rule? Should it be implemented? Let us know below.