Major League Baseball

Text of Cabera rule change

Published Sep. 21, 2012 7:25 p.m. ET

foxsports

Text of the section of the Official Baseball Rules specifying standards for batting titles, and the change made Friday:

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10.22 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

To assure uniformity in establishing the batting, pitching and fielding championships of professional leagues, such champions shall meet the following minimum performance standards:

(a) The individual batting, slugging or on-base percentage champion shall be the player with the highest batting average, slugging percentage or on-base percentage, as the case may be, provided the player is credited with as many or more total appearances at the plate in league championship games as the number of games scheduled for each club in his club's league that season, multiplied by 3.1 in the case of a Major League player and by 2.7 in the case of a National Association player. Total appearances at the plate shall include official times at bat, plus bases on balls, times hit by pitcher, sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies and times awarded first base because of interference or obstruction. Notwithstanding the foregoing requirement of minimum appearances at the plate, any player with fewer than the required number of plate appearances whose average would be the highest, if he were charged with the required number of plate appearances shall be awarded the batting, slugging or on-base percentage championship, as the case may be.

THE FOLLOWING WAS ANNOUNCED FRIDAY BY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION:

For the purposes of determining the individual batting, slugging or on-base percentage champion, the last sentence of Official Baseball Rule 10.22(a) shall not be applicable for the 2012 season for any player who failed to obtain 502 plate appearances if such player served a drug suspension for violating the Joint Drug Program.