The Major League Baseball (MLB) made major rule changes this season, such as introducing a pitch clock, increasing the size of the base, and restricting runners. The intention was to create a faster and more dynamic baseball. It’s the very beginning of the season, but the intended results are showing up. The explosive increase in the number of stolen bases is immediately noticeable.
The 30 MLB teams attempted to steal a base 84 times in four days after the season opened on the 30th of last month (local time), and succeeded 70 times. During the same period last season, he attempted to steal bases 43 times, making 29 of them. Stealing attempts nearly doubled, and the success rate rose from 67.4% to 83.3%. His stolen bases, which were 0.6 per game in the first four days of last season, rose to 1.4 this season.메이저사이트
Thanks to the rule change, an excellent environment was created for fast runners to steal bases. As the size of the base increased, the distance between first base and second base and second base and third base became 11.43 cm closer. The advantage is not small in a situation where safe and out are divided by a short hair difference. If the runner is not caught on the third check ball, the pitcher balks, and the clever runners are widening the lead with their minds. In addition, the pitch clock annoys the battery. Baltimore outfielder Jorge Mateo said, “When the pitch clock countdown starts, you can see the pitcher is in a hurry,” and said it became easier to stop stealing. Mateo attempted to steal four times in the first two games of the season, making all four of them successful.
Last year, only six players in the league had 30 or more stolen bases. In recent years, the value of stolen bases has declined significantly, and the attempts themselves have decreased significantly in the stance of ‘home run or strikeout’. There are signs that that trend will reverse at once this season.
Mateo and other Baltimore runners broke an MLB record by stealing a combined 10 bases in the first two games of the season. New York Yankees prospect Anthony Wolf, who made his debut this season, became the fifth player ever to steal bases in all three games of his debut. The total of 21 stolen bases recorded by 30 teams on Opening Day is the most stolen bases on Opening Day since 1907. Records about stolen bases have been pouring in since the beginning of the season.
The shift ban, which MLB implemented with the introduction of the pitch clock, is also having an effect. Although the sample is still small, the average league batting average for the opening four days rose from 0.230 last year to 0.245 this year. BABIP, the rate at which batted balls are in play, also rose from 0.276 to 0.301. Hitting a lot, running a lot, so the intention to create a more dynamic and fun baseball is early in the season, but it seems to be working. On the 3rd, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “I am very happy that it has worked so quickly.”
MLB’s vital efforts to shorten game time are also seeing the light. In the case of the opening day of last season, it took an average of 3 hours and 11 minutes per game, but on the opening day of this season, the game was completed in an average of 2 hours and 45 minutes. I saw the effect of shortening more than 25 minutes. The Colorado vs. San Diego game on the last 2 days ended in 2 hours and 3 minutes, and the Cleveland vs. Seattle game the day before ended in 2 hours and 4 minutes. The power of the pitch clock is fully evident. There were 14 violations of the pitch clock rule on the opening day alone, but MLB sees it as a problem that will soon be resolved as time passes and players get used to it.