World Baseball Classic rule guide: Pitch count, mercy rules, designated hitter

For the first time in the WBC, there will be a pitch clock. It will follow MLB rules: Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw with the bases empty and 18 seconds when runners are on. Batters have until the eight-second mark to be ready to hit.

Major League Baseball Adds Three New Rules For 2026 Season

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 11: The video board displays the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system during a challenge by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning of the MLB game against the Cleveland Guardians at Camelback Ranch on March 11, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Have mercy: Why Texas baseball will play all its games with a run rule in effect

College baseball's mercy rules are not new. But this marks the third straight season that Texas is playing under different run-rule guidelines.