### Instruction: What was the purpose of Major League Baseball's rule changes this year?
### Response: Major League Baseball has been facing a decline in interest for years. The reasons commonly given for this decline are the length of games and lack of action attributed to the shift.

In an effort to speed up the games and make them more interesting, baseball implemented a number of changes. 

- They made the bases bigger to encourage more base stealing.
- They banned the "shift". The "shift" became prevalent over the last decade and is seen as one of the main contributors to a reduction in scoring. They hope to increase offense with the ban on the shift.
- A pitch clock. Pitchers have to deliver a pitch within 15 seconds if no runner is on base; if a runner is on base, the pitcher must deliver the pitch within 20 seconds. Batters also must be in the batter's box and ready to hit with at least 8 seconds remaining on the clock. If a pitcher fails to deliver the pitch within the allotted time, the batter is awarded an automatic ball. If the batter is not ready to hit within 8 seconds, the batter receives an automatic strike.