Fans laud MLB's measures for record attendance: "The pitch clock says you're welcome"

When MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced a plethora of new rule changes at the beginning of the 2023 season, many fans worried that the game might be changed forever.

However, recent numbers have shown that despite many fans threatening never to watch a baseball game again, the average attendance in the league has actually gone up.

For the weekend of May 19-21, the league recently announced that 1,518,016 people shuffled into stadiums around the MLB to catch some action. The numbers represent the best turnout for weekend baseball in April or May in more than six seasons.

"This weekend's attendance of 1,518,016 was the best weekend attendance across @MLB In April or May in more than six years." - MLB Communications

Fans in the comment section were very quick to point to the new rules, mainly Rob Manfred's pitch clock, as a primary contributor to the increased fan numbers.

Under the new rules, pitchers have 20 seconds to deliver their pitch, or fifteen seconds if there is a runner on base. The move was made with the intent to shorten games, and stimulate offense, both of which are good ideas for attracting viewership.

As part of the pitch clock regulations, games are at their shortest in years. At the same time, runs, and stolen bases have also seen sharp increases. The opening day set between the Miami Marlins and the Minnesota Twins finished up in under two hours, making it the shortest game since 1919.

When the clock was first introduced, more than a few fans believed that it would jeopardize the timeless "cat and mouse" game that has existed between pitcher and catcher since the beginning of the game. So far, with a few exceptions, the dynamic does not seem to be as altered as many may have believed at the start.

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MLB pitch clock will still take some time to get used to

Whatever your personal view of the game might be, there can be no arguing now that the MLB saw an opportunity and capitalized on it. With baseball often getting the lazy and illogical label of "boring", the establishment needed to do what it needed to do.

With stars like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and others, there has never been a better reason to watch baseball, especially now that you can fit in an entire game within a more sensible time frame.