Opening Day for MLB is Today

Baseball is back! The marathon of 162 games plus postseason begins for all the clubs. All 30 teams are set to be in action today and share a common goal of winning the World Series. The Brewers begin the season in Chicago against the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20P on KFIZ.

New Rules for 2023

1) PITCH TIMER

• 15 seconds with bases empty; 20 seconds with runners on

• Hitter gets 1 timeout per plate appearance; must be in batter’s box with 8 seconds left

• Pitchers get two disengagements (pickoff attempts or step-offs) per batter; violations are a balk

• Limits on pickoff attempts led to 26% increase in stolen base attempts in Minors

• Pitch timer helped reduce game length by 25 minutes in Minors in ‘22

2) SHIFT RESTRICTIONS

• Two infielders must be positioned on either side of 2B when pitch is released

• All four infielders must have both feet within the infield when pitcher is on rubber

• Shift restrictions increased batting average and decreased strikeouts in Minors while giving players more opportunity to show off their athleticism

3) BIGGER BASES

• 1B, 2B and 3B increased from 15” square to 18” square

• Bigger bases expected to have positive impact on player safety

• Distance reduced by 3″ from home to 1st and home to 3rd, reduced by 4.5″ from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd

• Bigger bases reduced injury events near the bases by more than 13% in the Minors in 2022

Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals – 12:05 p.m.

San Francisco Giants at New York Yankees – 12:05 p.m

Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox – 1:10 p.m.

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs – 1:20 p.m.

Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays – 2:10 p.m.

Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers – 3:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds – 3:10 p.m.

Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres – 3:10 p.m.

Toronto Blue Jays at St. Louis Cardinals – 3:10 p.m.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals – 3:10 p.m.

New York Mets at Miami Marlins – 3:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros – 6:08 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics – 9:07 p.m.

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers – 9:10 p.m.

Cleveland Guardians at Seattle Mariners – 9:10 p.m.