As the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is now in full swing, new rule changes were brought to the league in an attempt to make the sport a more enjoyable experience. Easily the biggest and most impactful change made to this season is the pitch clock. With this change, the pitcher has a maximum of 20 seconds to pitch the ball to the batter.
“I think that the pitch clock is a good change overall,” said Minnehaha baseball captain Benji Koeckeritz. “The games were getting way too long and I think it is a good way to speed them up.”
With the limited time given to pitchers, the league has seen major improvements on the speed of the game-an issue they’ve faced for decades.
“I think that the pitch clock definitely makes watching baseball more enjoyable,” said baseball captain John Misa. “The biggest problem with watching the MLB was how long the games were, but now the game just moves a lot faster and have a much better feel.”
Another change to the rules include an increased size of the bases, now 3.5 inches bigger than they were before. With this change brought lots of controversy as stealing bases has now become much easier for runners.
“The bases [rule] is kind of whack,” said captain Thomas Gesick.
Although a lot of people have different opinions, overall it looks to be a change for the better, with all-time records being broken, and more 40-40 seasons, and faster times of games.
A 40-40 season in baseball is when a player has 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
Also, the average game time is 2 hours and 30 minutes compared to last year, when it was 3 hours and 10 minutes.
“Seeing more steal attempts with the increased base sizes and limited pick-off attempts has also been interesting to see,” said Misa. “All these rule changes have really shifted the dynamics of how professional baseball is played, but I think it is beneficial for both the league and the fans.”
Athletic director Josh Thurow has mixed feelings about these rule changes.
“I don’t love the enforcement,” stated Thurow. “But, I love the spirit of the rules.”
Regardless of whether it’s liked or not, it seems like the MLB’s recent rule change is doing a good job of keeping fans engaged.