The Cardinals play today! Want to watch the game? Clear your schedule for the entire day… maybe not anymore. With the 2023 MLB season officially underway, fans have been able to see the start of a new era in the MLB, the era of the pitch clock. For casual fans, baseball has had the same criticisms for the longest time; Games are long and boring. After years of fans complaining, the MLB finally took action. Now, pitchers only have a 30 second break in between batters, a 15 second timer in between pitches with bases empty, and 20 seconds with runners on to regroup and throw the next pitch. Hitters also have to be set in their stance and looking at the pitcher with at least 8 seconds left on said clock. Failure to meet the clock requirements on either side results in an automatic ball or strike.

The pitch clock has made baseball watchable again. Before this year, sitting down to watch a Cardinals game was a day-long process. Last year, the average MLB game was north of three hours, a lot of that three hours contained little to no action. The 2023 season is still very young, but average game times are down 30 minutes from last year. The last time MLB games were this short was 1985, when the Cardinals lost to the Royals in the I-70 World Series; with Willie McGee and Don Mattingly as the MVPs of the league. While it may not sound like a lot, it is a VERY noticeable change while watching the game. You can no longer go to the bathroom after a pitch and not miss a thing, you can’t go on your phone and scroll through social media in between pitches, fans of the game can actually sit down and are able to JUST watch a game.

There is some controversy over pitch clock and the changes to baseball. More die hard baseball fans like the long games and do not like the fact the pitcher is being rushed to do their job. I think this is the best thing the MLB has done in a long time. I would consider myself a diehard baseball fan, and I want what is best for the sport: new fans. For the first time in a long time, the MLB is gaining fans instead of losing them.