Strikeout numbers are still stubbornly high in MLB despite rules changes

By DAVID BRANDT
AP Baseball Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Major League Baseball has made the games faster, the bases bigger and defense a little bit harder. Now, if it could only do something about those stubborn strikeouts. There’s little doubt that MLB’s expansive new rules package this season has been a success, particularly when it comes to speeding up the action. But the sport is also hunting for a little more offense these days and the league-wide output of 2023 looks similar to 2022 in several areas. One of the biggest reasons is that strikeouts are still near an all-time high, with each team averaging about 8.6 per game.