MLB Officially Approves A Number Of Rule Changes For 2024, Despite Player Disapproval
After a 2023 season that saw the introduction of a number of significant rule changes, MLB and the league's competition committee has changed the rules again for 2024. Even choosing to go against what the players apparently want.
This was rumored last month, with reports that MLB was considering alterations to the pitch clock and a few other rules aimed at speeding up play even further.
READ: MLB COULD CHANGE A BUNCH OF RULES FOR 2024
ESPN's Jesse Rogers then reported Thursday that the league had officially approved those proposed changes. Among them:
Interestingly, the MLB Player's Association issued a statement saying that it disagreed with the new changes, citing several concerns around "profound changes to the fundamental rules of the game," as well as "injury impacts of reduced recovery time."
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels stands next to the pitch clock. easily the most discussed new rule for the 2023 MLB season. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
MLB Taking Game Times Extremely Seriously
The league's reasoning behind these changes is quite obviously to continue to speed up games. After the initial significant decline, average game times slowly crept up as pitchers and hitters figured out how to game the system.
Shortening the pitch clock with runners on base is intended to help reverse that increase. Similarly, the pitcher warmups rule is meant to eliminate one of the most frustrating sequences in baseball. When a say, right-handed pitcher who's already in the game warms up during the commercial break, the opposing team puts in a left-handed pinch hitter, and the righty's pulled for a lefty, necessitating another commercial break.
While this will help speed up game times, it does also put stress on strategic managerial decisions. Coaches will have to be sure that their starter or reliever has the stamina to get the first hitter of an inning out, while not being able to use the gamesmanship of sending someone out to the mound while using that time to warm up another pitcher in the bullpen.
The league though, is clearly trying to seize the momentum gained from a successful 2023 season. Ratings were up, attendance was up, and pace of play was definitely improved.
Player objections though, have some merit. No one's quite sure what shorter recovery time does to pitchers. And making fundamental changes overruling player objections doesn't set a great precedent. But MLB has a majority on the competition committee, and that majority is taking the mandate to shorten games seriously.
Very seriously.