If you change it, they will come

The World Series starts tonight, with the Diamondbacks facing off against the Rangers, marking the official close of a season in which the MLB took a page from the Savannah Bananas’ playbook and enacted new rules aimed at creating a more entertaining and engaging product for fans.

Notable changes this year included: a pitch clock limiting the amount of time between pitches, a ban on exaggerated defensive shifts, and slightly larger bases (except for home plate). The rules came as part of a league-wide effort to quicken the pace of play, increase the number of balls put in play, and encourage more base stealing.

The results:

• More than 70 million fans hit the bleachers this season, a 10% year-over-year increase and the highest figure since 2017.
• Average MLB game times fell nearly half-an-hour to less than 2 hours and 40 minutes, the lowest figure in nearly four decades.
• Highlight-reel plays like stolen bases reached near-record levels, contributing to a 7% annual bump in regular-season TV ratings.

Speaking of stolen bases… Taco Bell’s annual “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” contest is in full effect this World Series, with the first successful stolen base on either side resulting in one free taco to all Americans who use the chain’s app.