The game we know from April through August changes markedly the final month of the season, due to Major League Baseball’s roster expansion.

Limited to 25 players for the first five months, they can add eight, nine, 10, 15 extra players beginning on September 1, which allows for more one-dimensional players and a lot more pitchers.

It is an abomination, and the rule needs to be tweaked.

Gregg Patton, a friend and former colleague in Southern California, writes about baseball for The National, here in Abu Dhabi, and this week he took on the “expanded rosters” problem.

Here is what he wrote:

Terrance Gore is back with the Kansas City Royals, which can mean only one thing: it’s time for September call-ups.

You might remember Gore from September 2014. He played in 11 games but batted only once. Mostly, he pinch ran. He stole five critical bases and scored five critical runs as the Royals battled down the stretch for a wild-card spot. Gore got the opportunity in September when rosters expand, a tradition once used to reward a handful of minor-leaguers for good seasons.

Now it is a strategy, something to exploit. The Royals could not afford to carry a baserunning specialist on the 25-man, regular-season roster. But a 30-35 man roster? Bring him on.

Other teams stock up on extra relief pitchers.

This week the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels used a total of 16 pitchers in a game, as managers Don Mattingly and Mike Scioscia vied for favorable matchups, utilizing the new army of arms in the bullpens.

The problem? Having so many extra specialists distorts the sport they play from April to August.

And games can take forever.

The Dodgers-Angels relief-fest was four hours long, inspiring Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson to tweet: “September baseball, where there are too many people available and timely games go to die.”

There is a rising cry for reform. Not in the number of call-ups, but in the number of players available each day.

Hockey does it.

For sure baseball needs it.

That is the end of Gregg’s piece.

Referring to hockey, NHL teams carry 23 players, but before the game they have to announce which 20 will be eligible to play in that day’s game. The other three (unless one of them is hurt) are called “healthy scratches”.

Baseball, however, from September 1 to the end of the regular season, allows teams to call up any/every player from their 40-man roster — and use all 40 of them, if they want.

That is too may, and allows for calling up guys with weirdly specialized skills (see: Terrance Gore, above).

I’m glad Gregg wrote about this. I think the same thoughts, every September, when the dugouts are filled to overflowing.

Also this week, Gregg did a piece on how both New York teams appear headed for the postseason.

We at The National are happy to have him contributing. Also this week, he did a big NFL preview specifically for Abu Dhabi’s English-language newspaper — here and here and here … and a piece about the importance of quarterbacks, here.