Main League Baseball accomplished a historic 2023 common season that includes a complete set of latest guidelines leading to elevated motion on the sector, a faster tempo of play, and a possibility for gamers to point out their athleticism. Within the first yr of a balanced schedule and the second yr of expanded Postseason play, MLB generated important will increase in attendance and consumption, with paid attendance reaching the 70 million mark for the primary time since 2017.
Main League Baseball completed the 2023 season with attendance of 70,747,365, which is up +9.6% over final yr’s whole (64,556,636). The typical attendance per recreation (29,295) elevated by +9.1% marking the very best share progress in 30 years, not together with COVID-impacted seasons, relationship again to the 1993 growth to twenty-eight Golf equipment.
Seventeen Golf equipment registered attendance over 2.5 million, matching probably the most in MLB historical past. Eight groups recorded attendance of greater than 3 million followers for the primary time in 10 years with 80% of the league (26 out of 30 Golf equipment) registering attendance features. Eleven weekends drew greater than 1.5 million in attendance, which is probably the most since 2017. The earlier 4 full seasons (2018-2019, 2021-2022) mixed for a complete of 5 weekends that topped that quantity.
The MLB Ballpark app, which maintained its standing because the primary sports activities app within the App Retailer for a lot of the 2023 season, registered an +11% improve in ticket scans per recreation with the rise in attendance and better adoption of digital ticketing.
MLB launched a brand new spot thanking followers for the excellent assist this season: THANK YOU FANS
MLB.TV recorded its most streamed season in its 21-year historical past with 12.7 billion minutes watched surpassing final yr’s file whole of 11.7 billion by +9%. Customers watching MLB.TV elevated +14% from 2022 and followers watched +17% extra video games than final season. Followers aged 18-24 watched +16% extra video games this season.
9 of the highest 10 most-watched days ever for MLB.TV, together with the entire high 5 most-watched days, have been recorded this season. With shorter recreation durations, followers additionally watched deeper into video games. The variety of video games watched of their entirety elevated by +17%.
MLB recorded greater than 6 billion views in 2023 throughout its social media accounts, probably the most in MLB historical past. The league additionally registered a +50% improve in engagements, probably the most in MLB historical past, and a +38% improve in followers, the most important follower achieve in 5 years.
The brand new guidelines instituted for the 2023 season had a optimistic influence on making gameplay much more entertaining.
The typical size of recreation was the shortest it has been in 38 years – since 1985 – by clocking in at a median of two:39:49 per recreation. The typical time for nine-inning video games decreased by 24 minutes from 2022 and half-hour from 2021. This season there have been solely 9 video games that lasted 3:30 or longer. In 2021, that quantity was 390, probably the most in MLB historical past.
Scoring (9.2 runs per recreation in 2023 vs. 8.6 per recreation in 2022), stolen base makes an attempt (1.8 per recreation in 2023 vs. 1.4 per recreation in 2022), stolen bases (1.4 in 2023 vs. 1.0 per recreation in 2022) and stolen base success price (an all-time greatest 80.2% in 2023 vs. 75.4% in 2022) all are up over the earlier season. Gamers recorded 3,503 stolen bases, probably the most since 1987 and the second-most within the final 100 seasons.
New guidelines thrived in 2023 as gamers throughout Main League Baseball demonstrated their athleticism and reached feats hardly ever, if ever, achieved. Ronald Acuña Jr. tallied an unprecedented 41 dwelling runs and 73 stolen bases, changing into the fifth 40-40 participant in MLB historical past and the primary participant in Baseball historical past with a 40-70 season. Acuña’s 73 stolen bases are probably the most in a season since 2009. Corbin Carroll turned the primary rookie ever to register a 25-50 season. Nineteen gamers reached the 20-20 milestone, tying the 1999 file, and a record-tying 4 gamers reached 30/30 for the fifth time ever. By going 30-for-30 on his stolen base makes an attempt, Trea Turner’s 100% success price this season is the very best since 1951 amongst all MLB gamers who tried not less than 30 stolen bases in a single season. Rookie stars Carroll and Anthony Volpe turned simply the third rookie tandem to file a 20-20 season. Julio Rodríguez and Bobby Witt Jr. turned the primary gamers in MLB historical past to succeed in 20-20 in every of their first two seasons. Solely 4 gamers in Main League historical past have matched Witt’s mixture of homers (30) and steals (49) in a season, and Witt is the second youngest of that group, trailing solely Mike Trout.