MLB Batting Average up 16 Points, Game Time Down 31 Minutes

Texas Rangers' Josh Jung (6) gets set in the batter's box as the pitcher's clock winds down during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Arlington, Texas, on April 1, 2023. Emil T. Lippe/AP Photo

NEW YORK—Major League Baseball’s new rules designed to speed pace of play and encourage more action seem to be working through the first 1 1/2 weeks of the season.

Batting average is up 16 points, stolen bases have spiked 30 percent and the average game time is down 31 minutes, on track to be the sport’s lowest since 1984.