MLB to shorten pitch clock, widen base paths in '24

MLB today released a list of rule changes for the 2024 that include "a tighter, 18-second pitch clock with runners on base," a "new, wider runner’s lane between home and first base … one fewer mound visit" and more. The changes were "formally approved by the competition committee" today. MLB proposed the pitch clock change "after seeing the average time of a nine-inning game grow by more than seven minutes, from 2 hours, 36 minutes in April to 2:44 in September." Also, MLB will "widen the dirt area along the first-base line by 6 inches" next season "after years of complaints." In addition, the number of mound visits "will shrink from five per team, per game to four," although "teams that have used their allotment will get one extra visit in the ninth inning" (THE ATHLETIC, 12/21).