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Baseball has long been afflicted with two critical ills: games are far too long and feature too little action. In 2022, the average game lasted 3 hours and 5 minutes, a half hour longer than in 1975. Meanwhile, the number of balls put in play by hitters has declined considerably. That means fewer base hits, diving plays, nail biting throws to home plate, and everything else that makes baseball worth watching.

What instead has taken center stage? Aside from lengthy staring contests between pitchers and hitters, baseball has become increasingly dominated by strikeouts, which are little more than high-velocity games of catch. Strikeouts, walks, and home runs--none of which involve any real action on the field--are now woefully referred to as the game's "three true outcomes."

As fans must put more time aside to see fewer of the triples, doubles, and stolen bases that they crave, baseball has ceded much of its popularity to inferior games that offer more primal gratification. Once the undisputed champion, baseball is now the country's third favorite sport, falling far behind football, trailing basketball, and barely edging out soccer of all godforsaken games. For the American pastime, this is a sorry state of affairs indeed.

To rectify this grave injustice, something had to be done; baseball did not survive two world wars just to die at the hands of our decimated attention spans. The game needed to change, and the modifications made this year are an excellent place to start.

This season, pitchers are on a strict schedule. No more than thirty seconds may elapse between at-bats, fifteen seconds between pitches with bases empty, and twenty seconds with men on base. They are limited to two unsuccessful pickoff attempts of baserunners; gone are the days of three, four, five consecutive throws to first base with nothing to show for it. Infielders can no longer crowd one side of the field to anticipate a batter who tends to hit in one direction. Paired with enlarged bases, the result is a more offense-friendly environment and a brisker pace of play.

Already, the impact is apparent.

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