MLB has issued new rule modifications for 2024 following a test run of the revisions during the previous season.
The MLB changed a few important rules before 2023. These changes, which are most noticeable in the enlarged bases and pitch clock, were made in an effort to increase action and quicken the game. Ronald Acuna Jr., a top player for the Atlanta Braves, showed us that the size of the bases did matter when he swiped 73 bags.
The pace at which pitches are delivered to the plate has also risen. This may have had an effect on pitchers, as we witnessed a slight increase in shoulder injuries last season, but overall it went well, with games ending much faster and seeing more activity.
Baserunner’s safety
The average length of an MLB game was more than three hours prior to the 2023 season in 11 of those years. Following the regulation adjustments, the average game duration was approximately two hours and forty minutes.
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Nevertheless, whether or not fans like them, there will be more changes. Let us examine a few of the new modifications scheduled for the 2024 season.
The route to first base will be expanded to prevent interference calls and shield baserunners from crashes. In an effort to reduce the likelihood of collisions, the league enlarged base sizes. MLB wants to minimize incidents like the frightening moment between Bryce Harper and Matt Olson in the NLDS between the Braves and Phillies.
Bryce Harper suffers an apparent injury after colliding with Matt Olson on a play at first base pic.twitter.com/dsOMaU1TXY
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 13, 2023
The dirt space between the foul line and the infield grass has now been included to the runner’s lane, per league approval. “This runner’s lane will still be chalked under the new rule in order to prevent runners from drifting too far into foul territory on plays in which the ball is in foul territory, such as dropped third strikes,” MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince reports. However, the runner will now be considered to be in compliance with the rule as long as both feet stay on the dirt path between home and first, rather than being required to be in foul zone (right of the foul line).
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Certain MLB ballparks will need to adjust their current field configurations to allow for the runner’s route to be clean. One of the better suggested modifications for the next seasons is this regulation.
If you step on the mound, game on
Last season, a pitcher warmed up on the mound 24 times in a row without facing a batter. This is what would occur if opposing managers were engaging in a game of cat and mouse to locate advantageous matchups. MLB has determined that a pitcher must face at least one hitter in between innings after warming up (in addition to adhering to the three-batter minimum rule).
The three-batter minimum is only waived in the event that a frame is ended by their first or second out-recorded. In addition, the inning break clock resets to two minutes if a fresh pitcher enters the warning track with less than two minutes remaining. In 2023, the time had been reset to 2:15. MLB said that last season’s average inning break with pitching changes was 2:35, which inspired them to make a change.
Pitch clock gets shorter.
MLB games concluded earlier in the season primarily due to the pitch clock. In 2023, a pitcher had fifteen seconds to get to the plate while there were no runners on base. That doesn’t change for 2024, but it does change when there are runners on base.
A pitcher will now have eighteen instead of twenty seconds to start his delivery to the plate while he is in the stretch with runners on. It is still against the rules for pitchers to try a pick-off more than twice without delivering a pitch.
The manner in which the time resets following a dead ball has also been altered. Before, as soon as the pitcher took the mound, the clock would restart. Now, when the pitcher has the ball in his or her possession, the Field Timing Coordinator, who controls the pitch clock, will begin the countdown. This stops a pitcher from going around the mound and extending the clock.
Mound visit restriction
Speaking of the mound, each MLB team was given five visits to the mound during the previous season. Once this was restricted, visitation to mounds decreased. In 2023, Major League Baseball reported that the league saw an average of 2.3 mound visits.
Teams will only be permitted four mound trips in 2024 as a result of the decision to reduce the cap. If, at the end of the eighth inning, the defensive team has used up all of its mound visits, then clubs will be granted an additional visit during the ninth inning.
That’s all of the proposed rule changes announced for 2024 and all of these new rules will be implemented in Spring Training. Look for umpires to strictly enforce them during preseason play so that players across the league may grow accustomed to the changes by Opening Day.
Braves fans will remember the pitch clock having an impact on the team immediately as they suffered at the hands of a batter not being ready in time and ended the game on a called third strike due to the violation. That kind of moment is likely to happen again but better that it happens in the Spring and not during meaningful regular season games.