Rob Manfred talks potential MLB rule changes, 2023 World Series on 'The Carton Show'
The 2023 MLB season will be defined by the debut of the pitch clock, giving a pitcher 20 seconds between pitches to begin his motion and requiring the hitter to be in the batter's box with at least eight seconds remaining on the pitch clock. As for the returns on Year 1, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred couldn't be happier.
The commissioner made an appearance on Thursday's edition of "The Carton Show" where he raved about the pitch clock, as well as the sport's new rule on defensive shifts, which mandates that two infielders be on each side of the second base bag.
"This was a fan-driven initiative, and our research shows fans love the rule changes," Manfred said. "The games are shorter; there's more action in the game; there's more athleticism, defense, base stealing, things that fans want to see. So, from that perspective, we see it as a huge success. The best thing about it [was] fans voted with their feet.
"Our attendance was up 9.6%. It's the biggest increase in 30 years in baseball. We got over 70 million for the first time in seven or eight years, and we feel like we're putting the best form of baseball out on the field."
Moving forward, more rule changes figure to be on the horizon for the sport, one of them being a long-awaited new robotic friend.
"I think when you think big picture, I think maybe the most important piece of this is it's the beginning of changing the culture in our game, so that we are more accepting and nimble about change," Manfred said. "I think 2024 is going to be an adjustment year, there'll be little changes around the edges, but looking forward to 2025. We've worked really hard on getting the automated strike zone system correct. We think it can be a real enhancement to the game."
As for the present, a pair of wild-card teams reached the 2023 World Series, as the No. 3 NL wild-card Arizona Diamondbacks (84-78) and No. 2 AL wild-card Texas Rangers (90-72) prepare to fight to the end.
In Manfred's eyes, the success of wild-card and/or unheralded clubs is a strength of the sport.
"I think the great thing about our postseason is that it's very unpredictable, and if you look back at the history of the game, some of our greatest moments are teams that nobody expected to win, the '69 Mets being maybe the greatest example of it," Manfred said. "I think Arizona got ignored a little bit. That Western division's tough, L.A. and San Diego and all this talent, and people missed how good they are.
"I think the charming thing about our game is that if you do it the right way, you build a core, you get the right kind of guys, I think [Diamondbacks general manager] Mike Hazen and Kendrick deserve real credit on this, recognized that the game was going to be played different and build your team to play to those different rules; you can win."
Game 1 of the 2023 World Series is Friday night, with first pitch coming at 8:03 p.m. ET on FOX, the exclusive home of the Fall Classic. The Rangers will send Nathan Eovaldi to the hill, while the Diamondbacks counter with Zac Gallen.
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