The president of the Mexican Baseball League (LMB), Horacio de la Vega, spoke at SportBiz Latinoamerica, the Sports Business Congress of Latin America, about the significant growth of the league after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season.
"Numbers don't lie, the growth is steady," said the LMB president. "This shows we are on the right track."
De la Vega said the results of the decision to play seven-inning games during weekdays was particularly encouraging. "We had more competitive games. The average time was two hours and 46 minutes, compared to three hours and 26 minutes in nine innings."
He added that broadcasters loved the experiment. "We expected that. They like a product limited to less than three hours."
The club's general assembly will decide whether to maintain seven-inning games in 2023.
The III WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup, in September 2021, became the first international baseball tournament played with the seven-inning format.
The 2023 Mexican Baseball League will open on 20 April. The defending champions, Leones de Yucatan, will visit Bravos de Leon at Estadio Domingo Santana in Leon, Guanajuato.
All 18 teams will take the field on 21 April.
LMB is a WBSC Associate Member.
