Red Sox CEO: Weve got to pick up the pace of the game – Yahoo Finance

When Major League Baseball (MLB) officially kicks off its new season on Thursday, Americas pastime will take on a decidedly different look.

For one, pitchers will largely be absent from the batters box, with new rule changes allowing for a universal designated hitter. Other tweaks to the game will mark the return of the ghost runner on second base for regular season extra-inning games, while the post season will expand from 10 to 12 teams.

But Sam Kennedy, CEO and president of the Boston Red Sox, said more drastic changes are needed to bring in a new generation of fans into the game.

The quickest answer is, weve got to pick up the pace of the game, he said, in an interview with Yahoo Finance. We need more offense, less strikeouts, more balls in play ... fans want to see action. Fans want to see a game that is more quick.

Kennedys comments come as MLB struggles to expand the reach of baseball. The league hit a 37-year low in attendance in 2021, with 45.3 million fans filling stadiums for regular season games. That marked a near 34% drop from the 2019 season.

While COVID-19 restrictions, and concerns about public health weighed on fan attendance, TV viewership only proved to be marginally better. Viewership for the World Series improved from a 2020 low, with 11.75 million people tuning in to watch the Atlanta Braves take on the Houston Astros, but it came in well below the 23 million, just five years ago.

A prolonged lockout in the off-season has only added to the apathy. In a recent poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times and Survey Monkey, 6-in-10 Americans said the labor dispute had caused them to lose interest in the upcoming baseball season. Another poll found that 54% of the general public said they had no interest in baseball.

At the end of the day, the consumer will win. They will tell us where we need to be and when we need to be there, Kennedy said.

Critics have pointed to the length of the game and the long lull in between action as factors behind the lag in fans. A nine-inning regular season game averaged 3 hours and 10 minutes last season. Meantime, hits have plummeted to near historic lows while strikeouts have soared.

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The league and the players association have agreed to more dramatic changes for the 2023 season, following a trial run in the minor leagues this season. The bases will be bigger and easier to reach, to encourage base stealing, while a pitch clock will be implemented to shorten at-bats. Kennedy said he supports both changes that will allow baseball to find the best version of itself.

Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia (11) is tagged out in the second inning by Boston Red Sox second baseman Yolmer Sanchez (47) during a spring training baseball game at the CoolToday Park Sunday, April 3, 2022, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Beyond the field, the MLB is expanding its broadcast reach through new partnerships this season. Apple TV+ will exclusively begin streaming Friday night games, while the MLB is reportedly finalizing a deal with NBCUniversal to exclusively air 18 regular season games in a new Sunday time slot on its Peacock streaming platform.

Kennedy said he is fully supportive of the shift from cable TV to streaming, despite concerns from fans who say the new partnerships are likely to limit accessibility for those who are not subscribers.

Whats important is that we are where fans want us to be. On their mobile device, on their laptop, on their iPad, on their 80-inch television screen, and a bar or wherever, he said. We need to break down this friction and people need to be able to watch Red Sox games wherever, whenever, however they want to do it ... this is a step in the right direction for Major League Baseball.

Akiko Fujita is an anchor and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AkikoFujita

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Red Sox CEO: Weve got to pick up the pace of the game - Yahoo Finance