CLEVELAND — The smell of baseball is in the air in Downtown Cleveland, as the Cleveland Guardians prepare to face the Seattle Mariners in their 2023 home opener at Progressive Field.
Fans attending Friday's game, however, can expect to be leaving the stadium earlier than usual, as the game will mark the first played at Progressive Field under Major League Baseball's new rules.
The rules, which were created in an attempt to increase the pace of play, shorten game lengths and encourage offense, have been in effect for a week now and appear to have already had a dramatic effect. So what can Guardians fans expect when the new rules arrive at Progressive Field on Friday? Let's take a look.
Pitch clock
Baseball's most drastic new rule comes in the form of the addition of a pitch clock, in which pitchers have 15 seconds with the bases open and 20 seconds with runners on base to get into the beginning of their pitching motion, or else they'll be charged a ball for the pitch. Additionally, batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher by the 8-second mark of the pitch clock, or else they'll be charged with an automatic strike.
When runners are on base, the clock resets when a pitcher attempts a pickoff or steps off the rubber. Pitchers are also limited to two disengagements (pickoff attempts or step-offs), while a third disengagement will result in the runner automatically advancing if it's not successful.
Through the first week of the regular season, the average game length of each contest has been two hours and 38 minutes -- down from last season's average of three hours and six minutes.
Bigger bases
In addition to the pitch clock, MLB has enlarged its bases from 15 square inches to 18 square inches, shortening the base paths by 4-and-a-half inches. Designed to encourage more base stealing, the rules have had the desired effect, with the number of stolen bases per game (.66) marking the highest in baseball since 2012.
The Guardians are helping lead the charge, with their 1.43 stolen bases per game ranking third in baseball, trailing only the Baltimore Orioles (1.83) and New York Yankees (1.50). While it's still early, Cleveland has nearly doubled its amount of stolen bases per game from last season (.73) with center fielder Myles Straw tied for an MLB lead with five stolen bags.
No more shift
In its attempt to encourage more offense, MLB has banned "the shift," in which opposing defenses change their alignments to match the hitter's tendencies. As a result, all four infielders are required to be on the infield dirt (or infield grass) with two on each side of second base at the time the pitch is thrown, although players are allowed to move as soon as the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.
As for the enforcement of the rule, if the team at-bat reaches base and runners advance on a ball hit with the defense in violation of the rule, the game proceeds without penalties. In any other event, such as an out or sacrifice, the hitting team can decide either to accept the penalty, adding one ball to the hitter's count, or decline it, allowing the play to stand.
Thus far, the average number of hits per game have increased from 8.16 in 2022 to 8.34 in 2023, with the average number of runs per game increasing from 4.28 last season to 4.53 this season.