At the start of the 2023 MLB season, the league has established new rules.
As of this year, Major League Baseball has incorporated a few changes to the game that can drastically affect how it will be played in future years. pitch cl
The new rules include a pitch clock, the limiting of a position shift and a limit for how pitchers disengage from the rubber.
Changing of the pitch clock along with the other changes in the league were put in place to make the game move faster. Originally, there was no pitch clock and the pitcher and batter could walk freely around their areas until either was ready to play.
The pitch clock starts out at 15 seconds if there is no one on base and 13 seconds if there is a runner on. The batter, on the other hand, must be alert and ready for the pitch at the eight second mark. If either party cannot complete these tasks in the given amount of time, it will result in a stoppage of play and the umpire will add a ball (if the pitcher is at fault) to the count or a strike (if the hitter is at fault).
Restricting the shift has greatly affected pull hitters to receive more base hits and it affects the defense by not allowing them to cover their hitting areas. Players can still move around the diamond, but they are unable to cross the imaginary plane going past second base.
Disengaging from the rubber can also slow down the pace of play. Pitchers are only awarded one an inning. In other words, without a timeout being called for them, if they were to disengage again in the same inning, it would result In a ball.
Overall, the pace of play for the MLB has been sped up and has resulted in a larger viewership and more ticket sales.
