MLB Opening Day: Three major rule changes for the 2023 season

Opening Day has arrived and a feeling of hope is in the air. 

All 30 Major League teams are starting fresh, and the opportunity for a run at the Fall Classic is equal for everyone.

Justin Turner, #2 of the Boston Red Sox, arrives ahead of the Opening Day game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 30, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

At least for one day. 

With the new season come changes to the game of baseball, with the implementation of new rules making headlines throughout spring training.  

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“I think this could go down as one of the most unbelievable opening days in history when you think about it,’’ MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told USA TODAY Sports last week. 

“We’re back to normal. We got the most exciting set of rule changes I think ever in the game, really, certainly the biggest set. … I think we have great momentum coming into this year.’’ 

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference, Thursday, March 10, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Baseball was in need of a jolt, and multiple rule changes were implemented in order to provide it. 

Let’s take a look at three new rules that will heavily impact the 2023 MLB season. 

Pitch Clock

This is the rule that has received the most scrutiny over the past several weeks, as players have attempted to adjust to the sped-up pace of play. 

There will now be a 30-second timer in between batters, a 15-second timer with the bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base. Pitchers who violate the timer will be assessed an automatic ball. 

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Hitters will also be impacted, needing to be in the box and alert with eight seconds remaining on the pitch timer, or they will be charged with an automatic strike. 

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto and manager Rob Thomson argue with umpire Randy Rosenberg after Realmuto was ejected from a spring training baseball game in Dunedin, Florida, Monday, March 27, 2023. (Mark Taylor/The Canadian Press via AP)

The pitch clock reduced minor league games by about 26 minutes last season, according to a report by MLB.com. 

The timer will reset with runners on base with a pickoff attempt or a step off of the rubber by a pitcher. 

Speaking of pickoff attempts, those will be limited in 2023 as well, with pitchers allowed just two attempts per batter. Should the runner advance a base, the pickoff limit is reset. 

The limit of pickoffs should increase the number of stolen base attempts in Major League Baseball season. 

A member of the Kansas City Royals’ grounds crew works the field in preparation for the 2023 baseball season Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Kauffman stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals will host the Minnesota Twins on MLB’s opening day tomorrow. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Do you know what else should increase stolen base attempts? Larger bases. 

Bigger Bases 

Three of the four bases have been increased in size for the 2023 season. 

All bases – excluding home plate – have been increased from 15 inches to 18 inches, with the hope that it will reduce injuries. 

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In the minor’s last season, the bigger bases decreased injuries around the bases by 13% last season, according to MLB Network. 

The larger bags should also increase stolen base attempts, as the distance between bases has slightly decreased. 

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on Oct. 5, 2022 in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

“The bases, they’re the bases,” Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters in February. “Wait until you see them. They look like a pizza box, to be honest with you.”

The Defensive Shift

No longer will fans see bizarre defensive alignments with just a single player on one side of second base. 

At the time of the pitch, all four infielders must be on the infield dirt or grass, and at least two players must be on one side of second base. 

The tarp is removed to reveal the Opening Day logo before the 2023 Opening Day game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on March 30, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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The hope is that the ban on defensive shifts will increase batting averages across the league, with MLB experiencing its lowest league batting average in 2022 since the 1968 season, according to ESPN. 

The new rules will have Opening Day looking a little different this year, but the game of baseball largely remains the same. 

First pitch of the season is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.

Here’s to a wonderful six months of baseball.