When MLB announced that it was going to introduce a dial for pitchers, reactions were mixed. Many people were against the measure.
But after more than two months of baseball (I’m including spring camp), you can clearly see the effects of the dial on 2023 baseball.
Matches are on average 29 minutes shorter (3:05 to 2:36) and that means more fans than ever.
In 20 out of 30 stadiums, there are more fans at the moment than at the same time last year. And in general, there is a 5% increase in attendance. The current average is over 26,000 fans per game.
But is the rise in attendance simply because the matches are shorter? No: there are other factors.
In fact, Major League Baseball has also sought to generate offense and this has been done through rules to incentivize base steals and special defensive end.
We notice that during each match, there is on average one more half-steal (from 0.9 to 1.4), which generates offense.
In fact, last year he averaged 8.2 points per game (via the sum of both teams) after a month. But this year, we are at 9.1, which is almost a point more per game.
Does everyone like it? The answer is no. But from what we see, it seems to please the majority, which is good for attracting supporters.
This is good news which also explains the rise in television ratings.
