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We’re about a third of the way through the Major League Baseball (MLB) season, and a consensus is developing that the rules changes implemented this year to make the game more exciting are having their intended effect.
MLB was trying to address three serious problems: Games were taking too long; there were too many plate appearances resulting in so-called “true outcomes”—home runs, strikeouts, or walks—during which infielders and outfielders might just as well have remained in the dugout; and there was too much time between batted balls being put into play.
