Major League Baseball has made a decision on potential rule changes for the playoffs amid reports of some dissatisfaction from players.
MLB will make no changes to the current rules for the postseason, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. That means the current pitch clock will remain in place for playoff games.
The pitch-clock rules used throughout the Major League Baseball season will remain the same during the 2023 postseason, sources familiar with the situation tell ESPN.
The rules: 15 seconds with no runners on, 20 seconds with runners on. Players had expressed hope for more time.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 1, 2023
Some players will be frustrated by this decision. The MLBPA had suggested that it wanted to see a longer pitch clock implemented for playoff games, but MLB never had much appetite for it, arguing that there was no reason to make changes to a rule that seems to be working.
While certain aspects of the pitch clock remain unpopular with some players, it has shortened games, and attendance is up this season. Keeping it in place for the playoffs was likely a no-brainer from the league’s perspective.
