This year, America’s oldest professional sport, M.L.B., looks different than ever before. For the first time in its 148-year history, clocks in stadiums now count down between every pitch, forcing pitchers and batters into action. This is a radical change for a sport that has been defined by its leisurely pace, but one that league executives believed was necessary to grow baseball’s popularity.
Over the last 50 years, the sport has gradually become less central to American culture as football’s popularity has skyrocketed and other sources of entertainment, like video games and on-demand television, have become more available. Even dedicated fans have grumbled in recent years about games being longer and less exciting. M.L.B. executives agree to an extent and believe that this year’s rule changes will help.
So far, they are right. The changes, including the pitch clock and others meant to increase action, have led to much faster games with more hits, more stolen bases, and…
2023-04-23 06:41:33
Post from www.nytimes.com