Baseball: NPB to adopt new intentional walk rule in 2018

Nippon Professional Baseball will implement the no-pitch intentional walk rule starting next season, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday.According to the source, NPB will follow in the footsteps of Major League Baseball, which eliminated the four-pitch intentional walk rule in the 2017 season, allowing the bench to signal for an intentional walk without the pitcher needing to throw four balls.The modification needs to be approved by amateur and professional baseball's playing rules committee in January but NPB players are unlikely to object, according to a source close to the pla…READ FULL ARTICLE