How the Pitch Clock Changed MLB (Two Years In) [2026]

I was skeptical about the pitch clock when it was introduced. I'm willing to admit I was mostly wrong about the downsides, while also noting some things that have played out differently than the optimists predicted.

The Pace of Play Results

Average game time dropped from about 3 hours 4 minutes in 2022 to roughly 2 hours 37 minutes in 2023 and has stayed in that range. This was the intended outcome and it largely worked. The games feel different — less dead time between pitches, more continuous action. Whether this has converted non-fans into fans is harder to measure, but attendance and ratings data suggest modest positive effects.

What Changed for Players

Pitchers lost a significant cognitive tool — the ability to reset, disrupt timing, and control the tempo of the at-bat through deliberate pauses. Some pitchers adapted well; others have openly struggled. The violation rate has decreased each year as players internalized the new rhythm. Position players report that the reduced inter-pitch time makes maintaining focus across nine innings more demanding.

The Unintended Effects

Stolen base attempts increased dramatically — partly because of the limits on pickoff throws introduced alongside the pitch clock, which shifted the running game balance toward baserunners. Offense has slightly increased compared to the preceding years, though isolating the pitch clock's specific contribution from other variables is difficult. The pace changes have had different effects on different player types in ways that are still being analyzed.

My Honest Assessment

Baseball is more watchable in 2026 than it was in 2019. The games are shorter, the action is more consistent, and the strategic dimensions haven't been lost — they've shifted. I still think some of the tradition-versus-innovation discourse around the changes was overheated in both directions, but the results have landed closer to the optimists' predictions than the skeptics'.

Real talk: The pitch clock worked. I was skeptical. The data changed my mind.