With spring training games officially underway, we’ve already had the chance to see just how the new rules that have been put in place by MLB are affecting games.
The most noticeable difference in games is the pace of play, which is essentially determined by the pitch clock.
Games are moving much faster than they were just a year ago.
That is because if the pitch clock rules are violated, a pitcher will receive an automatic ball, or a hitter will receive an automatic strike.
St. Louis Cardinals writer John Denton made an interesting note on Twitter, that both games the Cards played this weekend were exactly two hours and 26 minutes long, with the home team batting in the bottom of the ninth.
Of note: Both #STLCards Grapefruit League games thus far have been 2 hours, 26 minutes—and those were with the home team batting in the bottom of the ninth. The #Astros and #Nats game on Sunday went 2 hours, 6 minutes—also with the home team batting in the ninth.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) February 27, 2023
Also important to note is that the Cardinals scored eight runs on Sunday, beating the Miami Marlins, 8-2.
Their spring training opener was a 3-2 loss to the Washington Nationals.
Both games lasted the exact same amount of time.
Clearly, the pitch clock is having a noticeable effect on games.
MLB’s goal for quite some time has been to speed up the pace of play in games.
So far, it appears to be working.
While games may feel a little truncated, this is something that is ultimately generating a little more action and getting rid of what Theo Epstein called “dead time.”
Games are moving much more quickly than in the past, which makes for a more exciting style of play.
We’re still early on in the process, but it’ll be interesting to see how things play out with the pitch clock during the regular season.
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