Major League Baseball continues to explore ways to speed up the game after implementing a pitch timer in 2023 that decreased the average time of a nine-inning game by 24 minutes.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, MLB's competition committee is "weighing a proposal that would reduce the pitch clock with runners on base from 20 seconds to 18 next season." The 15-second pitch clock without runners on base would remain the same.
The proposal is in response to a gradual seven-minute increase in the average time of game last season as players adjusted to the new pitch clock rules.
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Passan also reported that the committee is considering a proposal to reduce mound visits from five per game to four.
The competition committee is an 11-person panel comprised of six members representing teams, four players and one umpire.
Passan noted that players have "voiced concerns regarding the reduction of the clock," citing a slew of pitching injuries throughout the 2023 season. However, MLB has pushed back on that concern
The average time of game in April of last season was 2:37 but increased to 2:44 in September.
