I changed the rules, and baseball has changed. KBO is about to introduce a new rule that accepts the changes in the Major League. Some players and fans are worried that it will look different from baseball, but it made a perfect soft landing in the Major League. It can also be successfully accepted in the KBO League.
MLB.com introduced in detail the changes caused by the new rules on Sept. 29 last year, 10 days before the end of the regular season. The new rules show how players have adapted to the rules and how the league environment has changed in addition to shorter playing time.
While it is well known that game time has decreased, the latest revision of the Major League Baseball`s rules did not focus solely on the one-dimensional goal of reducing overall time. The goal of the MLB was to speed up the tempo of the game through pitch clock and to induce more movement through shift restrictions and bigger bases. Shortening time, increasing in-play batting average, and increasing number of single hits and stolen bases are the result. This is a phenomenon that can be seen in the KBO League where the same or similar rules are applied.
It is true that the duration of play was shortened, but the duration of play was extended again in the second half. The duration of play per nine innings was 2 hours and 38 minutes for the first three weeks after the opening, but increased to 2 hours and 44 minutes for the first three weeks before September 29. MLB.com attributed this to players’ opening to the use of Peach Clock. A case in point was when players take their feet off the mound and recuperate their breathing, rather than rushing to throw due to Peach Clock. However, even 2 hours and 44 minutes was the shortest period since 1986. (Even though hits, walks, and home runs all increased), Peach Clock definitely worked.
Contrary to negative expectations, the number of peach clock violations gradually declined over time. The number of violations per game was 0.87 in the first 100 games and 0.34 in all 100 games on September 29. If you break the 100-game section, it is reduced to at least 0.24 times and one in four games, indicating that players have quickly adapted. Two-thirds of all games had no peach clock violations. Forty-nine percent of pitchers who threw more than 100 pitches and 68 percent of batters who faced more than 100 pitches spent this season without any peach clock violations.
The 15-second limitation didn’t put much pressure on the players, either. As of Sept. 29, pitchers started pitching 6.5 seconds when the pitch clock was off, and 7.3 seconds before the runner was on. This means that pitchers started pitching within 8.5/12.7 seconds after receiving the ball. Thus, pitchers naturally became accustomed to throwing balls at faster tempos. Pitchers committed 71.1 percent of all violations, while hitters accounted for 28.9 percent.
The most sensitive issue is the relationship between Peach Clock and Injury. As it is hard to say that all injuries suffered by pitchers in the Peach Clock era are due to time pressure, and on the contrary, it is impossible to conclude that they have nothing to do with the time limit, both sides are fiercely opposed to each other. MLB.com explains that the number of days on which players make the list of injured players has decreased compared to 2022. Even The Athletic and FanGraph can’t conclude this issue prematurely.
It does not appear to have adversely affected the physical strength of pitchers. The average number of pitches a starting pitcher threw was 85.2 pitches in 2022 and 85.6 pitches in 2023. The median number of pitches that were 89 in 2022 and 90 in 2023 is also the same. Average out production decreased slightly from 15.7 in 2022 to 15.5 in 2023, but the median number was the same at 16. The percentage of starting pitchers pitching five or more innings was 70.0% in 2022 and 70.6% in 2023, which was also the same.
- Summary
Peach Clock has greatly affected the reduction of playing time. Contrary to negative expectations, players have adapted quickly and even used it to their advantage. There was no clear evidence (or evidence that it did not) to conclude that Peach Clock had led to more injuries.
After the game time, the second team that felt the change was stolen base. The number of attempts to steal bases per game increased from 1.4 times in 2022 to 1.8 times in 2023. The success rate of 80.4 percent is the highest in a single season. Due to the restriction on checks, the number of checks per game decreased from 6.0 to 4.9 last year.
There are restrictions on check-outs, but this does not necessarily mean that a runner can arbitrarily broaden his lead. In fact, the number of check-outs (pick-offs) has increased from the previous year. According to the Baseball Organization, the number of check-outs (including failures to steal a base after checking) stood at 341 times last year. The number of check-outs in 2022 and 2021 stood at 275 times, respectively, and in 2019 at 322 times (excluding the shortened season of 2020), respectively. MLB.com interpreted this phenomenon as “restrictions on check-outs may have made some runners too bold.”
Kim Ha-sung (San Diego Padres) was cited by MLB.com as the runner who benefited the most from the restriction rules. The number of stolen bases more than tripled from 12 in 2022 to 38 last year. He was checked 65 times. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves), Nico Horner (Chicago Cubs), Witte Merrifield (Toronto Blue Jays), and Trey Turner (Philadelphia Phillies) were mentioned as the runners who received help from the rule revision, which saw the number of stolen bases increase significantly compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, no player has seen his stolen base more than Kim Ha-sung in a year. One can say that his style of play has completely changed. 라바카지노도메인
Interestingly, the success rate of stealing after the second check, that is, with only one last chance left for the pitcher, was 78.0%, lower than 80.6% when no check was made.
The restriction on restriction on restriction on restriction on restriction on restriction on restriction on restriction on check was clearly imprinted on pitchers. In the third attempt, pitchers were balked at almost no time for failing to catch an out. According to Baseball Servant, Meryl Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks), a name familiar to KBO fans, recorded the most balks in check in three times. Alex Cobb of the San Francisco Giants and Adam Ottavino of the New York Mets each had second balks. Fourteen players, including Joe Musgrove (San Diego Padres), Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians, each made one balk in excess of check. The number of balks totaled 21. It was not common for players to make the final attempt after warming up their feet twice. MLB.com explained that such a situation was less than 0.1 per game.
- Summary
Due to restrictions on checks and expansion of base size, the Major League’s success rate of stealing a base hit an all-time high of 80.4 percent last year. Checks per game decreased, but checkouts increased. After the second check, the success rate of stealing a base decreased.
As expected, the shift limit worked in favor of left-handed hitters. The league’s overall in-play batting average (BABIP) rose from 0.290 in 2022 to 0.297 in 2023. Left-handed hitters increased from 0.283 to 0.295. The in-play batting average of pull-out ground balls and line drive balls also went up. Instead, almost all teams complied with the shift limit rule. Last year, there were only three violations of the shift limit rule. “If you saw it in person, buy a lottery ticket,” MLB.com wrote.