After months of speculation about how three key new rules will change the game and a spring training session filled with quick games and lots of mess, it’s finally the opening day of the League season. Professional baseball 2023 has also arrived. And for the first time since 1968, every MLB team starts the season on the same day.
It’s been a busy day, with action starting at 1:10pm Eastern and ending at 12:45am
Here’s what we learned:
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Try not to blink. Out of 15 games, 10 finished in less than three hours. The shortest match took place in Tampa Bay, where the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers in 2 hours and 14 minutes. But the improvement in speed was perhaps the most shocking thing in the Bronx, where the Yankees, who have long been renowned for their deliberate pace, took down the San Francisco Giants with ease in 2 hours. 33 minutes. That match had 32 compound shots and 276 compound pitches, but it was still 40 minutes faster than the average Yankees game in 2022.
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The total number of facilities stolen can skyrocket. Anthony Volpe made his major league debut and the 21-year-old Yankees walked in his first appearance on the plate and immediately stole the second base. That sets the stage for a day with many stolen bases (21) as well as home runs (21). Perhaps more interesting: Runners are 21 out of 23 in stolen base attempts, a success rate so high that even the most analytically minded office executives give a nod Agree.
There is a lot to learn even beyond the scope of new rules.
