The new pitch clock means Major League Baseball franchises are set to extend alcohol sales for an extra innings for the duration of the 2023 season.
Thanks to a number of rule changes including the pitch clock, MLB games have been considerably shorter in 2023. Through the first week and a half of the season, the average game time has decreased 31 minutes and is on track to be the sport's lowest over a campaign since 1984.
As a result of faster games, fans are able to consume less beverages, including beer. The minor leagues played with the pitch clock last season, and one general manager - High-A Brooklyn Cyclones GM Kevin Mahoney - suggested there was no decrease in concessions sales even with the shorter games.
However, some MLB teams have made amendments. At least four franchises - the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers - have extended alcohol sales through the eighth inning this season.
The Baltimore Orioles have already revealed the team will continue selling alcohol though the eighth inning or until three and a half hours after the first pitch - whichever came first. The Rangers allowed some alcohol sales in the eighth inning last season but have made that option more consistent in 2023.
Texas also offer in-seat concessions service to fans, who can order on their phones. The move was sanctioned in reaction to the pitch clock and the potentially shorter game times. Meanwhile, Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger told MLB.com the decision to extend alcohol sales was an experiment, adding: “If it turns out that this is causing an issue or we feel that it might cause an issue, then we'll revert to what we have done previously.”
In the past, franchises used the seventh inning as a cutoff to largely avoid fans who could drink then get in their cars and drive home. However, most teams already had areas around their respective ballparks where fans could get alcohol after the seventh even if the concession stands stopped serving.
MLB does not regulate when teams sell alcohol - so expect more teams to ring changes too as a reaction to the pitch clock.
