This year's KBO League exhibition games were 19 minutes shorter than the previous year.
The KBO released the statistics at the conclusion of the exhibition games on Monday. The 46-game exhibition season, which totaled 46 games, was 19 minutes shorter on average than the same period last year (based on 47 games), with fewer walks and more successful stolen bases.
The average duration of the 46 games was 2 hours and 39 minutes, 19 minutes faster than the same period last year (2 hours and 58 minutes). Fourteen of the 46 games ended in two hours and 30 minutes or less. Last year, only two games ended in less than two and a half hours in exhibition play.
The average walk per game was 7, an 8.4% decrease from last year (7.64). The average stolen base per game was 1.74 and the stolen base success rate was 74.77%, both higher than last year (1.66 and 68.42%).
The average number of hits per game was 16.74, the same as last year, and home runs increased from 1.30 to 1.72. Slugging percentage and on-base percentage didn't change much. ERA increased from 3.92 to 4.35 in 2023.
This year's exhibition games will feature the introduction of the Automatic Pitching System (ABS), a pitch clock trial, a ban on fielding shifts, and an increase in base sizes. "We plan to closely examine the changes in game metrics from the start of the season and analyze the newly introduced system," the KBO said.