Major League Baseball's new rules package is set for its regular-season debut Thursday when all 30 teams play their first game. For many fans, it'll be the first time seeing the sport's sizable list of rules changes, including a pitch clock, limits on infield shifts and bigger bases, which were tested in spring exhibitions but weren't used in the WBC.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Miguel Rojas connects for an RBI single during the fifth inning of the team's preseason baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. It was the defining moment of the recently finished World Baseball Classic: Japan's star pitcher Shohei Ohtani vs. United States slugger Mike Trout. Ninth inning. Two outs. One-run game.
"This is the next level -- having the rules applied in games that matter," said Diamondbacks three-time All-Star Evan Longoria. "Nobody's getting numbers stamped on the back of a baseball card during spring training.The good news for baseball is that the rules changes have been widely praised during spring training.
Some of that showed in spring training. New York Mets ace Max Scherzer and other pitchers tried weaponizing the pitch clock, hurrying hitters or waiting them out within the bounds of the 15-second timer -- 20 seconds with someone on base -- to mess with their timing. Stolen bases and stolen base attempts during spring training increased about 50% over the numbers from last year's spring games."We didn't want to tip our hand, to be honest with you," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said of his team's running strategy. "But trust me, we're working on things behind the scenes."
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said the idea of a pitch clock was much more scary than the actual pitch clock.
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