Major League Baseball is trying to speed up the pace of baseball games in a few different ways. A 20-second pitch clock in every ballpark is one way to speed up the game. Since everyone can see the 20-second pitch clock, it helps the pitcher speed up the pitch he or she needs to throw.
Another way to speed up the game is to automatically walk a batter using the intentional walk. Starting in 2017, a baseball pitcher can show that he or she wants to intentionally walk a batter. The signal to intentionally walk a batter keeps the game from having to use four pitchers.