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SPORTS Friday 27 September 2024

MLB’s made a lot of rule changes over the past few years. The

most noticeable? A pitch clock

By DAVID BRANDT as 2022, except for one key
AP Baseball Writer detail.
PHOENIX (AP) — Major It’s about 30 minutes short-
League Baseball’s rule- er.
change bonanza of 2023 Turns out baseball games
altered a myriad of the weren’t boring they were
game’s details, including just taking too long. Now
cutting back extreme in- that the itching, scratching,
field shifts, bigger bases spitting and lollygagging
and limits on how many have been eliminated, 2
times a pitcher can disen- 1/2-hour games are actu-
gage from the rubber. ally quite a bit of fun.
But the thing that’s most MLB’s initial hope with the
recognizable is the little rule changes particularly
pitch clock that is constant- banning extreme infield
ly counting down. shifts was that it would pro-
“I mean, just looking at kind vide an offensive spark. But
of the rule changes the the league-wide batting
past couple years, I think average (.243 in 2024, .243
pace of play probably has in 2022) and scoring aver-
affected things positively age (4.40 in 2024, 4.28 in
for fans,” Guardians out- 2022) are pretty similar.
fielder Steven Kwan said. “I The pitch clock is visible as Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer winds up to deliver The difference is that when
can’t say that’s a guaran- during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, April 24, 2023, in Baltimore, all the action is condensed
tee, but that’s kind of what Md. Associated Press into a shorter time frame, it
jumps out first.” feels like more is happen-
He’s not wrong. MLB is en- TV ratings. Fans, players made for a more exciting more drama. ing. The pitch clock man-
joying a bit of a renais- and the game’s executives brand of baseball. It feels But a deeper look at the dates that players have 30
sance these days with a are largely in agreement like there’s more action, statistics shows that an MLB seconds to resume play be-
bump in attendance and that the new rules have more quick decisions and game is basically the same tween batters. q