OPINION By Kalvin Tragethon

With a new season of Major League Baseball (MLB) under way, the MLB may have finally found the solution to save their sport with the implementation of the pitch clock. 

  In the last decade, the MLB had major problems with the pace in play. In the 2003 and 2005 seasons, the average time for an MLB game was 2 hours and 49 minutes. Now, the game length is 3 hours and 11 minutes, which is the highest recorded average. 

  These longer games, combined lower attendance and struggling TV ratings, have forced the MLB to consider changes, like adding a pitch clock. The pitch clock, which was introduced in the 2022-2023 offseason, is meant to speed up the game. Now, the pitchers are forced to throw the pitch before a timer hits zero. When there aren’t runners on base, pitchers will get 15 seconds to pitch after they receive the ball from the catcher. However, if there are runners on base, the pitcher will have 20 seconds from the time he gets the ball to pitch. Hitters will have to be in the batter's box before the pitch clock has 8 seconds remaining, and they can only call one time out per at bat. 

  The number of strikeouts per season has consistently increased, as has the number of homeruns. When both increase together, it is clear that games have less action and also last much longer - neither of which baseball fans want.  For example, in 1995, the MLB had 25,425 strikeouts. In that same year, the MLB only had 4,081 home runs. Since then, the numbers have increased. In 2021, the MLB had its second highest season strikeout total at 42,104. That same year, MLB also saw their second highest home run total ever, at 5,940. Teams increase emphasis on the long ball, and place less blame on players for strikeouts.

  The pitch clock is necessary because the average game length has increased with the infusion of analytics into the game. 

  A prime example of how the new analytics have impacted the game is seen through the stats of Texans Rangers and New York Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo. In 2021, Gallo struck out 213 times, which was the most in the league. However, despite these strike outs, Gallo was 11th in the MLB in home runs, hitting 38 throughout the campaign. Gallo is a classic example of how the game has placed less blame on players striking out, and more emphasis on the home runs they are able to produce. 

  The new, analytical, approach from many hitters leads to limited entertainment for the MLB audience. As of 2019, home runs account for 15.9% of hits in an MLB game. In 1989, only 8.5% of hits were home runs. In 2000, the average number of hits per game was 9.31, but now, in the 2022 season, that number dropped to 8.16 hits per game. This decrease in hits has led to longer games and the need for the pitch clock. 

  The most recent data, which came a week into Spring Training, showed that MLB games were averaging a time of 2 hours and 37 minutes. The new addition of the pitch clock gives pitchers 15 seconds to throw the ball when with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners on base. Additionally, the batter can only call one time out each bat, and has to be in the box before the clock hits 8 seconds. Before the pitch clock, the pitchers took 18.1 seconds to deliver a pitch with no runners on base.

  The addition of the pitch clock will mean that games will finish sooner, allowing younger viewers to stay up for more of the games, and for the pacing and energy to return to baseball. The MLB has a long way to go in their pursuit to reestablish themselves as America's pastime, but this offseason change has put baseball on the right track.