Yankees fans have mixed feelings about new pitch clock
NEW YORK -- Baseball season will look and feel different this year after MLB made changes to speed up games and add excitement.
On Opening Day, Yankees fans had mixed reactions to the new rules, which include pitchers getting just 15 seconds to throw the ball.
"Personally, I think they're messing up the game. They should just leave it traditionally," one fan said. "Just leave it alone."
"I like it because it keeps the game going and doesn't stagnate. Sometimes you're here four, five, six, seven hours. So you keep that pitch clock going, it keeps things fluid. I don't mind it," said another fan.
The problem has been the average length of a game increasing to nearly 3 hours and 15 minutes. Until this season, baseball was the only sport without a clock.
"I'm not crazy about the timing and putting limits on pitching and stuff. Baseball is timeless. However long it takes, is how long it takes," a fan said.
To increase the action, the bases are bigger this year and pitchers cannot throw over to hold the runners.
"Stolen base is kind of a lost art. We're looking for that to come back. I like all the rule changes. Anything to speed up the game," said a fan.
In the minor leagues, the new timing rules sped up games by an average of 20 minutes.
"I think that's fine," said another fan. "That's enough time to get drunk."
The Yankees beat the Giants 5-0. It took just 2 hours and 35 minutes.
