Has MLB found the secret to renewed fan interest?

Feb 17, 2019; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addresses representatives from the grapefruit league during the annual spring training media day at Hilton in West Palm Beach. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball has become particularly aggressive in recent years in trying to find ways to make the sport more appealing to a broader fanbase. They may have found a hugely beneficial rule change while testing some things out in the minors.

The pitch clock has debuted across minor league baseball and has shaved 20 minutes off game times, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. In the first 132 minor league games played with a pitch clock, the average game time was 2 hours, 39 minutes. More than a third of games finished in less than two-and-a-half hours.

The pitch clock is 14 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds with at least one runner on base. Pitchers who are not into their delivery when the clock expires are given an automatic ball, while hitters who are not ready when the clock runs out get an automatic strike.

Despite the changes, there was no significant change in average runs scored between games with or without a pitch clock.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has long sought to shorten games, with the pitch clock a major priority of his. So far in the minors, it is clearly having the desired results. Cutting 20 minutes off the average game time may not seem like much, but speeding up the action could certainly keep fans more engaged. At the very least, its implementation is clearly going better than another possible change the league has looked at.