In an unearthed video from a 2015 Dan Le Batard Show interview, Jon “Stugotz” Weiner pitched the very idea of the Golden At-Bat to Manfred, calling it a “Magic At-Bat.” Instead of once per game, Stugotz wanted managers to be able to use it four (or five) times.

As Stark floated, the ideal outcome for the Golden At-Bat is more matchups like the famed showdown between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The downside, of course, is that scarcity is part of what makes moments like those memorable.

Rob Manfred revealed that there was talk around Major League Baseball about the possibility of a dramatic new rule change called the "Golden At-Bat." Reactions to the very possibility of this new wrinkle have been strong with Ken Rosenthal calling the idea "extreme" and Michael Kay telling fans they had to get their heads out of their butts.