Opening Day: Fans who want a faster-paced game will get it, says three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander

(CNN) baseball returned with A new set of rules. on opening day, Major League Baseball It will introduce a slew of brand-new regulations in hopes of speeding up the pace of play, encouraging more movement, and making the sport more compelling for fans.

Pitch timer

For the first time ever, MLB will use a ballpark clock. Each break in a half will be 2 minutes 15 seconds long, and there will only be 30 seconds allowed between strikes. Pitchers must start finishing their work before the clock expires. They will only have 15 seconds between pitches with no runners on base, or 20 seconds with runners on base, to begin their move. If the counter reaches zero, the runner gets an autoball.

Hitters will also be affected by time restrictions. Hitters must be in the box and looking at the pitcher in eight seconds or less, or they will receive an automatic strikeout.

“if [fans] Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander told CNN Sport’s Andy Scholes. . ”

This upcoming season is the first time these time restrictions have been tested at the major league level. However, MLB says they’ve tested the clock in more than 8,000 minor league games and spring training games to get ready for the season.

“In its last check, the pitch timer reduced MiLB’s average game time by approximately 26 minutes,” said MLB.

eliminate shift

Shifting is a defensive strategy in which defensive players move away from their traditional positions in the field to positions that are more optimal for a particular batter. For example, when a left-handed player comes in to bat, the shortstop or third baseman may move to right field. To put it simply, players shift their positions to an area the ball is most likely to be hit.

In recent years, the shift has become more popular and has developed into an MLB staple. However, teams will no longer be able to use the strategy.

To move forward, players must keep both feet within the outer boundary of the court when the pitcher begins the action. Two outs must be placed on each side of second base when the pitch is released. Finally, attackers may not switch sides or move onto the court unless there is a substitution.

Without the switch, fans can expect higher batting averages for some players, more ground balls and doubles per game, and more athleticism at second base.

Dusty Baker, manager of the Houston Astros, told CNN that canceling the shift would put more emphasis on the players’ defensive capabilities.

“It will make the teams more athletic,” said Becker. “You wouldn’t be able to put anyone here, anyone there and rely on transformation to make up for any shortcomings they might have.”

larger bases

The bases will be increased in size by three inches. This should encourage more stolen bases and, according to MLB, reduce the number of injuries that occur near the bases.

Dominic Smith, first baseman for the Washington Nationals, noted the effect on player safety.

“I think it’s a great move because now you don’t see as many collisions,” he said. “It makes the game safer, and that’s all we could ask for.”

Although a larger base gives the outfielder more space, the changeup is more beneficial to the runners. Because the bases are larger, the distances between the first, second, and third bases are shortened by 4.5 inches.

Game development

In the end, the league and the players seem to share one common goal: to grow the game of baseball.

Twice presenter Alex Bregman discussed how the new changes will benefit younger generations of fans.

“With young kids getting to see the full 9 innings now… that’s one way to get the younger generation into the game, make sure more kids go to the playground,” Bregman said. “I think there are a bunch of ways we can make a difference in getting a lot of kids to love baseball and grow up wanting to be big players.”

An earlier version of this article had the wrong team Dominic Smith plays for. This has now been modified.