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19 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP PLAYBALL eragewasmorethan163perclub. Home runs aren't necessary to win games, however. The Royals were dead last in homers in 2014 and made it to the seventh game of the World Series. Last year, they were 24th and won it all. The Giants won the Fall Classic in 2012 while hitting the fewest homers in the majors (103). WILLNEWRULESREGARDING second base slides and the "neigh- borhood play" decrease the inju- ries affecting middle infielders? This will be played out over the course of the 2016 season — and perhaps a few seasons after. Replay technology almost demands that baseball not use the neighborhood play, an unwritten rule in which umpires called out base runners sliding into second as long as the infielder was in the vicinity of the bag when he received the ball on the front end of a double play. But something had to change to protect middle infielders after shortstops Jung Ho Kang of the Pirates and Ruben Tejada of the Mets suffered season-ending in - juries last season when they were "taken out" by Chris Coghlan and Chase Utley, respectively, trying to break up double plays. Those slides were an accepted part of the game in the past. But they are dangerous, too. Some players and managers have said the new rules may not protect infielders well enough if the neighborhood play is eliminated, but that will be determined over the course of a season or two. WILL THE AFRICAN- American athlete ever come back to baseball? The percentage of African- THEGAME Fewerkidsplaying Baseballandoutdoorsoccertakethebiggest hits in participation as kids grow older. Here's a look at the number of kids playing by age. BASEBALL 6-to12-year-olds: Approximately 34 percent 13-17: Just over 15 percent 18-24:Less than 10 percent TACKLEFOOTBALL 6-12: Just over 20 percent 13-17:Over 30 percent 18-24:Slightly over 15 percent BASKETBALL 6-12: Slightly under 25 percent 13-17:Approximately 17 percent 18-24:Almost 15 percent OUTDOORSOCCER 6-12: Almost 40 percent 13-17:About 20 percent 18-24:About 12 percent LACROSSE 6-12: About 15 percent 13-17: Over 25 percent 18-24:Between 20 and 25 percent FIELDHOCKEY 6-12:Slightly over 15 percent 13-17:Between 12 and 13 percent 18-24:Nearly 20 percent Sources: Nielsen Scarborough, ESPN, Baseball Almanac, Sports and Fitness Industry Association, Washington Post (April 5, 2015) Americans in MLB peaked in 1981, according to a study by the Society for American Baseball Re- search, which has charted racial demographics back to 1947, the season Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Since 1981, the numbers have dwindled steadily. But black participation on opening day increased from 8.2percent in 2014 to 8.3percent in 2015. It's confounding since 41.2per - cent of all major leaguers in 2015 were nonwhite, including a robust 29.3percent Latino representation on opening day rosters. Moreover, MLB received an A-plus rating for it racial hiring practices in the first year under Manfred. The problem is on the field, where African-Americans aren't playing. CSTEWARD@BAYAREANEWSGROUP.COM A'sfanHayley McClendon holds son Quinton, 2, as he kisses a bat from Billy Butler at spring training. JOSIE LEPE; PREVIOUS SPREAD: DAI SUGANO