Happy Opening Day week everybody! On Thursday the 2023 MLB season will begin, with all 30 teams scheduled to be in action on Opening Day for the first time since 1968.
That new Opening Day format is just one of many changes coming to the league this year. Multiple rule changes that have been tested in the minor leagues, as well as a new scheduling format, have been put in place in Major League Baseball this season in a hope to help the pace of play, increase action, and draw more viewers.
With the season about ready to get underway, here are the new rules to be aware of…
Pitch clock
Feb 24, 2019; Fort Myers, FL, USA; A general view of the pitch clock being used in a spring training game between the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins at JetBlue Park. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
This has been the headlining rule change, and the one most people have heard about. In an effort to shorten games, pitchers are now limited to how much time they have between pitches.
When the bases are empty, pitchers have 15 seconds after getting the ball back to throw the next pitch. With runners on, the limit increases to 20 seconds.
Hitters must be in the box with eight seconds left on the clock (with one timeout per at-bat). If they’re not, it’s an automatic strike. If pitchers don’t throw in time, it’s an automatic ball.
With this, pitchers are also limited to how many times they can step off the mound or pick off a runner. They’ll have two such opportunities per batter – the third would result in a balk.
Last year in the minors, these rules helped decrease game times by an average of 25 minutes per game. This year in spring training the average game time has been 2 hours, 36 minutes, which is down from 3 hours, 1 minute last year. While regular season games are generally a little longer than spring training games, that total decrease in time in expected to carry over.
Shift restrictions
Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed (13), second baseman Buddy Kennedy (16), and first baseman Seth Beer (28) shift their defense against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale on March 14, 2023. (Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA Today Network)
Gone are the days of a second baseman playing deep in right field, taking away a would-be singe from a left-handed hitter. New rules are in place to limit infield over shifts in 2023.
In the past, fielders could align wherever they wanted, with no restrictions. Now, teams are limited to two infielders on each side of second base. All four infielders must have both feet on the infield dirt when the pitch is thrown. Teams have tried working around this by shifting outfielders instead, but that hasn’t been overly common.
According to MLB.com, “shift restrictions increased batting average and decreased strikeouts in Minors while giving players more opportunity to show off their athleticism.”
Bigger bases
Feb 14, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; MLB has moved to using a bigger 18 base (right) from the standard 15 base during demonstrations of rules changes for the 2023 MLB season and how they will be implemented for spring training and the regular season at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
The final major on-field change in 2023 will be bigger bases. The size of the first, second, and third base bags has been increased from 15 square inches to 18 (home plate remains the same size).
This change is meant to have a two-fold impact. First, it shortens the distances from home-to-first and third-to-home by three inches, while shortening the distance between first-to-second and second-to-third by four and a half inches. With less distance to travel, runners are expected to be more aggressive. Combined with the fact that pitchers are limited to how many pickoff moves they’re allowed, stolen bases are expected to increase.
Bigger bases, when tested in the minors, have also proven to decrease injuries on the basepaths. With more room on the bag, players are less likely to step on each others’ feet, or otherwise collide on bang-bang plays.
New schedule format
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 17: A general view of Fenway during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on May 17, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
The old MLB schedule format was very division-heavy. That format has now been ditched in favor of a more ‘balanced’ schedule, that for the first time has all 30 MLB teams facing each other over the course of the season.
In the past, teams would play 76 in-division games over the course of the season, facing each divisional opponent between 16-20 times. That number is now decreased to 13 games each. Teams will alternate the extra home game in each head-to-head matchup each year.
For non-division, in-league games, things don’t change much. The total number of those games dips from 66 to 64. Teams will play six of their intraleague opponents six times, and seven such opponents four times. The number of matchups between specific teams on a yearly basis will also rotate.
Interleague play is the big new change this year. The number of interleague matchups increases to 46 in 2023, up from just 20 games in the past. Four interleague games will be played against each team’s “natural rival” as decided by MLB (for the Red Sox, it’s the Braves for some reason). Those matchups will take place in the form of a four-game home-and-home series.
Teams will then play the other 14 teams in the opposing league a total of 21 times. Seven of those series will be at home, and seven will be on the road. Again, hosting in individual head-to-head matchups will rotate each year.
