New Below-the-Knees Zone Doesn’t Strike Their Fancy

While the Dodgers believe it’s senseless for major league baseball to redefine the strike zone, they say the reason for making the radical change is even more preposterous.

The new strike zone, which will be lowered about 2 1/2 inches to beneath the kneecap, was introduced to speed up the games. The rule changes last season, which prohibited batters from needlessly stepping out of the batter’s box, reduced the average length of games by only four minutes.

“That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard,” first baseman Eric Karros said. “Are you kidding me? Speeding up the game is for the birds.

“What are you going to do with four minutes? People get four extra minutes of sleep a night, so that makes the world a better place? Come on.

“You think people say, ‘Well, we’ll go to the game if it lasts 2 1/2 hours, but if the game goes five minutes longer, we can’t go’?

“Everybody involved in the game knows how ridiculous it is. It’s trivializing the game.”

Although the new strike zone is scheduled to go into effect March 1, the Dodgers openly question whether umpires will be willing to adapt. They’re convinced that the new strike zone will differ little from the old one.

“No one’s going to call a strike that way, I’m sorry,” closer Todd Worrell said. “Some umpires have been calling games for 20 years, and you’re asking them to change? That’s not fair to the umpires.

“I don’t see how you’re going to get umpires to change; if anything, it will just disrupt the way pitchers and hitters are now. They’re playing with something that will just cause problems.”

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The Dodgers have opened discussions with all-star outfielder Raul Mondesi about a two-year contract worth more than $3 million with an option for 1998. The two sides previously had been focusing on a three-year deal. . . . Pitcher Darren Dreifort signed a one-year contract. . . . Center fielder Roger Cedeno has missed the last two days because of a strained back. . . . Second baseman Delino DeShields returned to practice after being out two days because of flu.