MLB votes to ban defensive shifts, implement pitch clock

Say hello to the pitch clock and goodbye to defensive shifts in Major League Baseball for the 2023 season.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, MLB's competition committee has officially voted to implement a pitch clock for the 2023 season and ban defensive shifts.

The new rules will include a 15-second pitch clock when the bases are empty and a 20-second clock when runners are on base.

As for the shift, teams will need to have two fielders on each side of second base with both of their feet remaining on the infield dirt. 

The pitch clock is obviously geared toward increasing the speed of the game. Major league games have averaged more than three hours in length since the start of the 2012 season, reaching a peak of three hours and 11 minutes during the 2021 season.

Games are currently averaging three hours and seven minutes during the 2022 season, with the average nine-inning game taking three hours and four minutes.

As for the shift, that is designed to add more offense to the game and increase the number of batted balls that can turn into hits. Aggressive shifting has become the norm across the league over the past 10 years and is often sighted as one of the biggest reasons batting averages and run scoring has plummeted. While that has played a part, the improvement of pitchers across the league, combined with how specialized they have become, has also been a key. 

Data from the minor leagues (which has already implemented some of these changes) has not yet shown that reducing the shift has improved the batting averages on balls in play.

The votes by the competition committee were not unanimous, with the Major League Baseball Players Association making a statement that they voted against the pitch clock and shifting restrictions.