The world of baseball is two days away from the official start of a new era.

Shot clocks, larger bases and a ban on certain at-bats will be incorporated into the regular season after experimentation in both the minor leagues and spring training.

The new rules are intended to speed up the pace of play and have more action on the basepaths, as walks, strikeouts and home runs have increased significantly over the years.

The fans didn’t like it, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred took notice.

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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a press conference in Arlington, Texas on December 2, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

When asked on «Good Morning America» ​​why the changes came about, Manfred replied, «The short answer is the fans.»

«Our research showed that the game had evolved and changed in ways that the fans didn’t like, and we decided it was time to step in, to make sure we put the best form of baseball on the field,» he said.

Of course, old-school baseball purists hate it all, even though baseball was never made to last more than three hours the way the game has in recent years.

«Fans’ attention spans, we know, are limited, but the game, historically, was played in a window, from two and a half hours to 2:45, and in many ways, we believe that ‘re-establishing baseball’ to when it was most popular,» he said of baseball’s purist throwback.

Baseball has always been played without a clock, but now pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds when there are men on base (hitters have eight seconds to be alert for the pitch).

But Manfred says that despite the first timer in MLB history (there was always a rule, albeit hardly enforced, that pitchers must throw a pitch within 12 seconds), the game remains the same.

«It’s still a game without a clock in the sense that the end of the game isn’t determined by any time. The game ends naturally, as always, and I see the shot timer as kind of a little change moving forward.» things along.»

Referee Matt Brown signals a shot clock violation during the spring training game between the Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 12, 2023, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Referee Matt Brown signals a shot clock violation during the spring training game between the Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 12, 2023, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

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The shot clock has done exactly what it was intended to do: Spring training games were 26 minutes shorter this year than they were in 2022. The average MLB regular season nine-inning game last year took three hours and three minutes. The previous year it was 3:10, the longest ever.

Sure, there have been some annoyances with the clock, but the commissioner noted that the «launch timer» will have the biggest impact, but in a positive way.

«Fans will notice that the game is fast paced and the games will be shorter,» he said.

At the end of the day, MLB had no choice but to make some adjustments, despite what the old-school crowd may say or want.

«I think nothing stays exactly the same. And the fact is that the game evolved naturally and changed dramatically. And it got to the point where it was important to step in and make sure we’re putting out the best.» product in the field.

Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. on the field for Game 2 of the World Series between the Astros and the Phillies at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2022 in Houston, Texas.

Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. on the field for Game 2 of the World Series between the Astros and the Phillies at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)

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All 30 teams are scheduled to start their season on Thursday, assuming there are no postponements. It marks the first time that every MLB team will begin their quest for a World Series on the same day since 1968.