The average time of a nine-inning major league baseball game increased by 2 minutes this season to 2:38 in the third year of the pitch clock.

The thrilling World Series shows that baseball is truly back—just in time for its next crisis. Sportswriters have been penning baseball’s obituary for decades, claiming that America’s pastime is past its time. The game is too slow, too stodgy, too old, too boring, they said. The kids don’t care. But baseball is not dying. It’s thriving.

MLB did not allow players on 40-man rosters at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but has discussed creating an extended All-Star break to allow participation in the 2028 Games. The commissioner says

The Dodgers had a 1-0 lead when Ohtani faced Scherzer in the third inning. Ohtani took a ball, swung at two strikes and then fouled off two more pitches before he hit his first home run of the night. He celebrated with an epic bat flip while Justin Bieber gave him a thumbs down.

Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred is feeling more confident about MLB players competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, although he said significant scheduling challenges remain to be resolved.