Changes On Deck
Pitch clock and more game changers for new season
NEW YORK - Big shift in baseball this season: Everyone from Aaron Judge to Justin Verlander goes on the clock. Players and fans get a sweeping set of rules changes designed to speed up the game and increase action on the field. There's a new pitch timer, bigger bases and a ban on lopsided infield alignments.
Shohei Ohtani enters perhaps his final year with the Los Angeles Angels — the two-way superstar can become a coveted free agent in the fall.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is set to rejoin the Padres next month following a year off the field due to injuries and a performance-enhancing drug suspension.
Jacob deGrom (Texas), Trea Turner (Philadelphia) and Xander Bogaerts (San Diego) have new homes, while Carlos Correa ended up back in Minnesota after a roundabout winter saga.
Bruce Bochy returns to the dugout as the Rangers' new manager, looking to challenge Dusty Baker and the World Series champion Houston Astros in the AL West.
And fresh off signing a $360 million contract, Judge takes aim at another home run record after hitting 62 for the New York Yankees last year to break the American League mark.
“You never know,” the 6-foot-7 slugger said with a smile in spring training. “Every time we play in New York, I feel like you're chasing history.”
Judge and the Yankees are also chasing the franchise's first pennant in 14 years, while Angels star Mike Trout enters his 13th season still without a playo victory.
But much of the buzz at the start of the season is sure to center on baseball's new playing rules. Here's what to watch for in
2023:
CHANGEUP
Many felt big-league ballgames were dragging on too long in recent years, with the average time of a nine-inning game spiking from 2 hours, 30 minutes in the mid-1950s to 2:46 in 1989 and 3:10 in 2021.
Pitchers strolling around the mound between deliveries, hitters constantly stepping out of the batter's box to regroup — too much inaction for a modern-day entertainment product.
So after much consternation, MLB implemented innovations. Players will get 30 seconds to resume play between batters this season. In between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver with nobody on and 20 seconds if there is a baserunner. Batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher ith at least eight seconds on the clock. nd there are new limitations on ow many times a hitter can call timeout, or a pitcher can step off the rubber or attempt a pickoff throw without getting called for a balk. When a pitcher fails to throw a pitch in time, the penalty is an automatic ball. When a batter isn't ready in time, it's an automatic strike.
Clocks will be positioned behind home plate and beyond the outfield, where pitchers and hitters can easily see them.
Major leaguers often married to their routines have expressed a few concerns about adjusting to the new rules, which were tested in the minors first. Some pitchers are worried about getting winded. But results in spring training were right on target, with a small sample of games shortened by an average of 20-25 minutes. “The game eels more exciting,” Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin said. “Even some of the high-scoring games are under three hours.”
BOTH SIDES OF THE BAG
Another significant rule change: Infield shifts have been curtailed.
Teams must now keep two infielders on each side of second base, all with their feet in the dirt when a pitch is delivered. The idea is to open up space for more singles after data-driven teams spent the past decade carefully crafting defensive formations that targeted each hitter's tendencies.
Many pointed to the enormous increase in shifts as a big reason for plummeting batting averages, and thus less action on the bases. Corey Seager, Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo are among the veteran left-handed hitters who could benefit from “the wall” on the right side being banned.
Teams can still place their outfielders anywhere they please.
SPEAKING OF BASES
They are larger this year, to improve player safety and encourage steal attempts. The bags are now 18-square inches, up from 15-square inches. Home plate is three inches closer to first and third base, while the corner bases are 4 1/2 inches closer to second.
Extra innings will again begin with an automatic runner on second during the regular season, a rule change made permanent after three seasons of use during the coronavirus pandemic.
And MLB is heightening in-game inspections by umpires for banned grip aides, concerned that use of foreign substances by pitchers increased again as time passed from a crackdown begun in June 2021.
SIDELINED
Mets reliever Edwin Díaz, baseball's most dominant closer last year, is expected to miss the entire season after tearing a knee tendon while celebrating a victory with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
Two-time MVP Bryce Harper, who powered the NL champion Phillies to a surprising World Series berth last year, is out following reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. He's expected back in the lineup at designated hitter by the All-Star break in July.
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux will miss the season with torn ligaments in his right knee after getting hurt in a spring training game.
THE SCHEDULE
Opening day is March 30, with all 30 teams in action on the same day. Division rivals will square off 13 times each — down from 19 — and every club plays at least one series against every other club for the first time. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals play in London in late June, and the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres meet in Mexico City in late April.