Baseball is an intricate sport, and has adapted itself to many new changes over the nearly 150 years it has been around. Naturally, baseball is also filled with countless stubborn fans who aren’t exactly open to new changes. With opening day right around the corner, the MLB decided to add four new rules that will be in full effect this season. Of these four rules, it has become clear that the introduction of the pitch clock is the most significant, and also the most controversial addition to the game of baseball. So, is the pitch clock really worth it?

One of the biggest problems in baseball is how long the games last. The average major league baseball game lasts just over three hours, which in itself is a long period of time. Combine this with having a season consisting of 162 games, just watching the sport may feel like a large commitment for many fans. To alleviate this problem, the MLB decided to implement a new pitch clock in hopes of shortening the length of the game and bringing in more viewers.

The pitch clock works by adding set amounts of time for the pitchers and hitters to follow, who will be penalized if they don’t meet this set amount of time. In terms of achieving its goal of making baseball games shorter, the pitch clock has succeeded. Spring training games, which are currently utilizing the pitch clock, are an average of 20 minutes shorter than previously. While this might not sound like a lot of time, the quicker pace it allows for is immediately clear. However, for many fans of baseball including myself, this change in pace has only become a reason to dislike the pitch clock.

As implied in the previous sentence, I do not think that the pitch clock should be here to stay. What makes baseball unique from other sports is how baseball is not controlled by set amounts of time. While I do agree that some baseball games can get annoyingly long, implementing a pitch clock to shorten the length of the game is not the solution. In reality, I don’t actually think that there is a solution to making baseball a less slow sport. Like it or not, the slowness of baseball is what makes it baseball.