Major League Baseball will look a little different in 2024.
MLB’s Competition Commission on Thursday approved several rule changes that will go into effect starting with the 2024 season. This includes adjustments to the pitch clock, lanes from baserunners to first base, and the number of mound visits allowed.
Here’s a breakdown of the changes:
- The pitching clock introduced last season will be shortened from 20 seconds to 18 seconds when there is even one runner on base. According to MLB, pitchers started pitching on average with 7.3 seconds left when the bases were not empty last season.
- In an ongoing effort to speed up the game, MLB is also making changes regarding dead ball situations. In the case of a dead ball, rather than waiting until the pitcher returns to the mound, the pitcher is given a new ball and the pitch clock is reset as soon as he is ready to resume play.
- After a pitching change, if the time is less than 2 minutes by the time a relief pitcher enters the warning track, the clock will be reset to 2 minutes instead of 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
- If a pitcher warms up before the start of an inning, he is required to face at least one batter unless injured. According to MLB, there were 24 instances last season when a pitcher was substituted after warming up before facing a batter, taking an average of about three minutes to start a game.
- The number of mound visits allotted to each team will also be reduced from five to four. According to the league, each club took the mound an average of just 2.3 times last season. If a team runs out of players remaining, they will be given nine additional mound visits. Defensive players can now also signal a mound visit without actually going to the mound.
- Finally, MLB is giving baserunners a wider lane from home plate to first base. The base path will now include 18 to 24 inches of fair area to the edge of the lawn. Previously, if a runner was on the foul side of the baseline and did not stay within the 3-foot box, he could be declared interference.
“Since its inception, the Joint Competition Committee’s constructive conversations between players, referees and owners have resulted in rules that significantly improve the game for fans,” Seattle Mariners Chairman John Stanton said via ESPN. ”, he said in a statement. “These amendments improve on last year’s work by competition committees and were a huge success for fans and the sporting community.”
Stanton met via Zoom with St. Louis Cardinals CEO Bill DeWitt Jr., San Francisco Giants Chairman Greg Johnson, Colorado Rockies CEO Dick Monfort, Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro, Boston・Chairman of the Competition Committee, which includes Red Sox Chairman Tom Warner and others. With referee Bill Miller. Players include pitcher Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers, pitcher Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks, infielder Whit Merrifield of the Blue Jays, outfielder Austin Slater of the Giants, and Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs. That includes an outfielder and a backup for Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cole Irvin.
The change was approved by the committee over the objections of all five players who voted.
“Following significant changes to the ground rules of the game last season, additional changes are not immediately necessary and will not meaningfully benefit fans, players or on-field competition,” the union said in a statement. “This season should be used to collect additional data and fully investigate the health, safety and injury implications of reduced recovery times.”
MLB has withdrawn a proposal to have umpires reset pitching clocks immediately after a batter takes a timeout. The committee submitted two proposals. One would require pitchers to practice from a stretch position with runners on base, eliminating the hybrid windup/stretch throw that 8% of pitchers used last season. The other is designed to prevent fielders from blocking runners on base.
The pitch clock’s first season helped reduce the average time of a regular season nine-inning game to two hours and 40 minutes. This is a 24 minute reduction from the 2022 season and the fastest pace since 1985. However, there was a slight increase over the season, with the average length of a nine-inning game increasing from 2:37 to 2 hours in April. 44 minutes in September.
A nine-inning game between the Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series took an average of three hours and one minute, making it the fastest time for a Fall Classic since 1996.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.