New MLB rules pick up game pace, giving fans more action in less time
FILE - Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees slides safely into second as Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies is late with the tag during the first inning at Yankee Stadium on April 05, 2023, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The nation’s favorite pastime is taking a little less time now that the new Major League Baseball (MLB) rules are in place.
Fans told FOX 5 New York they’re not having a hard time adjusting to a lot more action in a little less time.
"It's the seventh inning already and I’ve been here an hour and a half, two hours, and we get to go home and beat the traffic," said one New York Yankees fan.
"For somebody like me who consumes a lot of baseball, that’s extra time I get to flip around other games," shared Jay Jaffey, a senior writer at FanGraphs. The average game time dropped by almost 30 minutes during the first four days this season compared to last year.
That pick up in pace is thanks to a new pitch clock rule enacted this season. The pitch clock counts down from 30 seconds between batters. The pitcher has 15 seconds between pitches with no runners on base but has 20 minutes if there are.
"I do like the introduction to the pitch clock. I did notice it was a lot shorter than it has been. We were in and out of there," said a fan in favor of the change in pace.
When a pitcher fails to throw a ball in time, the penalty is an automatic ball. When a batter isn’t ready in time, it’s an automatic strike.
The added action on the diamond comes from larger bases cutting the distance between bags by 4 1/2 inches.
"I love seeing all the stealing," said another fan.
Stolen bases rose to an average of 1.4 per game from 0.6 last year and the success rate on steal attempts rose to 85% from 67.4%.
"And as soon as he steps towards home it’s just like Bang! Yeah, I love it," the fan recalled.
Another rule worth noting is the newly-imposed limit on extreme shifts where now two infielders must remain positioned on each side of second base.
The rule eliminates the long-time defensive adjustment and so far, it’s the only one with slight complaints.
"I have mixed feelings about the shift ban most of all but I do like the fact that we’re seeing batting averages rise. They’re up seven points relative to last year," said Jaffey
"I am happy that it goes quicker because you know the baby can’t survive a whole game like we used to last year so the faster games are good," a fan concluded.