Baseball’s New Rules to Speed Up Games Get Mixed Reception

New York Mets' Tommy Pham stands in the on-deck circle as a pitch clock counts down during the sixth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2023. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—It took 2 hours, 19 minutes for the Miami Marlins to beat the Houston Astros 4–3 in a spring training game Monday—a game so fast that Ryan Murphy, a lifelong Houston fan, found himself lingering in the ballpark for a while afterward.

“I’m a baseball fan,” said Murphy, wearing 2022 Astros World Series gear, “so if I stay here for four hours, for two hours, it doesn’t matter to me.”