opening day it has arrived and a feeling of hope is in the air.
All 30 Major League Baseball teams start over and the opportunity to run in the fall classic it is the same for everyone.
Boston Red Sox number 2 Justin Turner arrives before the Opening Day game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 30, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
At least for one day.
With the new season come changes to the baseball gamewith the implementation of new rules making headlines during spring training.
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«I think this could be one of the most incredible opening days ever when you think about it,» MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told USA TODAY Sports last week.
«We’re back on track. We got the most exciting set of rule changes that has ever been in the game, really, hands down, the biggest set… I think we’ve got a lot of momentum this year.»
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference Thursday, March 10, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Baseball needed a shake up, and multiple rule changes were implemented to provide it.
Let’s take a look at three new rules that will have a big impact on the 2023 MLB season.
tone clock
This is the rule that has received the most scrutiny in recent weeks as players have tried to adjust to the fast pace of play.
Now there will be a 30 second timer between batters, a 15-second timer with bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base. Pitchers who violate the timer will be penalized with an automatic ball.
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Hitters will also be affected, needing to be in the box and alert with eight seconds remaining on the launch timer, or they will be loaded with an automatic hit.
Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto and manager Rob Thomson argue with umpire Randy Rosenberg after Realmuto was ejected from a spring training baseball game in Dunedin, Fla., Monday, March 27, 2023. (Mark Taylor/The Canadian Press via AP)
The shot clock reduced minor league games by about 26 minutes last season, according to a report from MLB.com.
The timer will be restarted with the runners on base with a pickoff attempt or a step outside the plate by a pitcher.
Speaking of pickoff attempts, they’ll also be limited in 2023, with pitchers only allowing two pickoff attempts per batter. If the runner advances one base, the interception limit is reset.
The interception limit should increase the number of stolen base attempts in a Major League Baseball season.
A member of the Kansas City Royals outfield team works on the field in preparation for the 2023 baseball season on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals will host the Minnesota Twins on MLB Opening Day tomorrow. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
You know what else should increase stolen base attempts? Bigger bases.
bigger bases
Three of the four bases have increased in size for the 2023 season.
All bases except home plate have been increased from 15 inches to 18 inches, in hopes that will be the case. reduce injuries.
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In the minor’s final season, the biggest point guards reduced injuries around the bases by 13% last season, according to MLB Network.
Bigger bags should also increase stolen base attempts, as the distance between bases has decreased slightly.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on October 5, 2022 in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
«The bases are the bases», Manager of the Boston Red Sox Alex Cora told reporters in February. «Wait until you see them. They look like a pizza box, to be honest with you.»
defensive change
No longer will fans see weird defensive lineups with only one player on one side of second base.
At the time of the pitch, all four infielders must be on the dirt or grass of the infield, and at least two infielders must be to one side of second base.
The tarp is removed to reveal the Opening Day logo prior to the 2023 Opening Day game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles on March 30, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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The hope is that the defensive trade ban will boost batting averages across the league, with MLB experiencing its lowest league batting average in 2022 since the 1968 season, according to ESPN.
The new rules will make Opening Day look a little different this year, but the game of baseball remains largely the same.
The first release of the season is scheduled for 1:05 pm ET.
Here’s to a wonderful six months of baseball.