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As we head into the business end of the year at the end of the regular season, the MLB has announced a record surge in attendance, signaling that the sport is alive and well.
Fans have shared their reaction to the news as total attendance numbers surpassed 70 million for the first time since 2017. There are a number of reasons for the increase in attendance, with shorter and fast-paced games possibly being the most prominent.
The 2023 MLB season saw the implementation of several rules designed to increase the speed of the game as well as the introduction of a new pitch clock.
That, coupled with a new schedule that is more balanced and sees all teams play each other at least once and the final weekend race for Wild Card spots seems to be the main reasons behind the increase in attendance.
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The 2020-2022 period showed an even hike in the total attendance of the MLB season, but the increase in numbers in the 2023 season has been beyond anyone's expectations.
It is no doubt a huge win for the league and an encouraging sign for the future. After the news, fans took the opportunity to show their support for the league and the sport over social media.
"Baseball is alive and well," wrote one fan on Twitter. "New rules are a huge win," added another.
Will the MLB achieve record numbers for the postseason following an encouraging regular season?
While the MLB has announced record numbers in attendance at the close of the regular season, there is still a highly anticipated postseason left to play. The Wild Card games across both leagues start on Tuesday for a three-game series that promises to be thrilling.
At the end of the road, there is the World Series to be played between October 27 and November 3. The record attendance for the penultimate round of games in the league was 420,784 for the six games when the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox in 1959.
Looking at the increase in numbers for the regular season, expectations for the postseason's attendance numbers will also be higher than they were two days ago.
