An analysis result from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) shows that the pitch clock is leading to faster professional baseball.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has implemented various regulatory changes to improve game flow and enhance the excitement of the league, including the official introduction of the pitch clock, adjustment of the ABS strike zone downward, reduction of extra innings, extension of the first base 3-foot lane, and trial operation of video review for check swings in the Futures League ahead of this season.

The KBO said on the 8th, "Each team has played an average of 37 games, and currently the regulations and systems are being applied steadily in the early stage of the regular season, which is about a quarter complete, showing effects such as the reduction of unnecessary game time and improvement in operational efficiency of the games."

The pitch clock, officially introduced from the 2025 season, is having a direct effect on reducing unnecessary game time. As of May 7, the average game time for regular innings is 2 hours and 57 minutes, which is 13 minutes shorter than the final game time of the previous season.

In particular, games lasting more than 3 hours and 30 minutes have decreased from 36 games in the same period last year to 13 games this year, while conversely, games under 2 hours and 30 minutes have increased from 7 games to 15 games, indicating that the pitch clock is contributing to the efficiency of game management.

In detailed items related to the pitch clock, the adaptation to the regulations through active participation of the players is progressing rapidly. Pitch clock violations occur an average of 0.4 times per game, averaging less than once every two games. The percentage of cases exceeding 3 departures in a single at-bat among all pitcher departures (pick-offs, feigning pick-offs, stepping off, etc.) was low at 4.3%, and there were no cases of violations regarding the maximum of 2 time requests per at-bat. Among all time requests made by batters, 98% were conducted in accordance with regulations at once per at-bat.

Ahead of the 2025 season, the KBO adjusted the upper and lower application standards of the ABS strike zone downward by 0.6 percentage points each through analysis of game indicators, judgment data, and collection of player opinions. Accordingly, the upper standard is applied at 55.75% of the batter's height, while the lower at 27.04%, which means that for a 180 cm tall player, the zone has been adjusted downward by about 1 cm compared to the last season. The lower standard applied in this year's KBO League is similar to the lower standard of the ABS challenge trial operated during the 2025 MLB spring camp. MLB also operates the ABS challenge with the upper and lower strike zones set at 53.5% and 27% respectively based on the batter's height, similar to the KBO League.

An analysis of the judgment changes due to the adjusted ABS zone shows that in the 185 games played so far, of the 30,227 pitches judged by ABS, 20,293 were called balls (about 67.1%) and 9,934 were called strikes (about 32.9%). This is similar to last year's ball-strike ratio, and there were 164 cases this year where pitches that were strikes under last year's zone were judged as balls due to this year's zone change, and 202 cases where pitches that were balls were judged as strikes.

The KBO noted, "Through continuous analysis of the ABS system, we plan to reflect the opinions of the field and experts and continuously seek improvements for fair and stable operation."

Starting this season, extra innings have been reduced from the previous 12 to 11 innings, and the average game time, including extra innings, has been recorded at 3 hours and 0 minutes. This is a reduction of 12 minutes compared to the final time of the previous season, effectively speeding up the conclusion of games. Among the 12 games that went into extra innings, 3 games (25%) ended in a tie, while 9 games (75%) ended within the 11th inning, reducing the burden of physical exhaustion due to the reduction of extra innings and diversifying each team's pitching strategies.

▲ Expansion of the first base 3-foot lane

From this season, the first base 3-foot running lane has been expanded to the dirt area of the infield, clarifying the runners' path. Consequently, both the stability of running plays and the consistency of judgments have improved. With clearer judgment criteria, the acceptability among players has also reportedly increased.

In the Futures League, the check swing review system is being trialed, and as of May 7, there have been a total of 54 review requests in 103 games, with 17 of them overturned, resulting in an overturn rate of 31.5%.

The KBO is comprehensively analyzing various factors, including camera angles, installation locations, judgment processing times, and the frequency of boundary judgment, and is currently reviewing the formal introduction of the system in the KBO League.

The KBO promised, "We are closely monitoring the status of game management and regulation application through joint meetings of the umpire committee and the record committee, as well as regular meetings of the rules committee throughout the season, and we will continue to monitor the changes to ensure that the revised regulations are firmly implemented, providing fans with more exciting and dynamic game experiences and making sure that league operations and system improvements are thorough."

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