Major League Baseball’s new rules will be clarified ahead of the season openers on March 30, commissioner Rob Manfred said on Tuesday.

Among the alterations made for the 2023 season are implementing time limits between pitches (20 seconds with runners on base, 15 seconds with the bases empty), preventing dramatic defensive shifts and limiting the number of pickoff throws.

“We had a series of clarifications that we’re going to announce shortly, things that have come out of player input conversations that have taken place,” Manfred said. “We have another set of issues that we want to see some regular-season games before we make a decision on them.

“I’ve met with six teams already. Our feet are not in stone this. On one hand, we are prepared to make adjustments based on input; on the other hand, we want to give it a chance to see exactly how it plays out after a period of adjustments in some regular-season games before we make any really significant changes.”

While Manfred did not detail the tweaks, USA Today reported that they will be:

–No warmup tosses allowed in the final 30 seconds of an inning break.

–Baserunners in motion on a pitch will, after a foul ball, be permitted time to return to the previous base.

–Quick pitches will be averted by giving hitters in the batter’s box during the final eight seconds time to get set.

“The clarifications are important in my mind,” Manfred said, “because they are responses to things players said.”

–Field Level Media

MIAMI — Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto homered as Japan won the World Baseball Classic, defeating the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning, getting Mookie Betts to bounce into a double play before striking out Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout.

Immediately after the strikeout, Ohtani tossed his glove and his cap aside before celebrating with his teammates. Ohtani was named WBC MVP for his efforts.

“It was great,” Ohtani said of his WBC experience. “There’s a different intensity representing your country and facing guys who represent their countries.”

Japan, which also prevailed in 2006 and 2009, leads all nations with three WBC titles. Japan went 7-0 in this tournament, joining the 2013 Dominican Republic squad as the only unbeaten teams in WBC history.

Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber homered for Team USA, which entered this tournament as the reigning champion by virtue of its 2017 title. The event wasn’t held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Turner, who went 2-for-4 on Tuesday, hit five homers during the United States’ WBC run. Betts went 2-for-5 for the Americans in the final.

U.S. manager Mark DeRosa said, “The baseball world won tonight. Although our guys are disappointed, I couldn’t be prouder of them, the way they came together as a team. They truly started to bond and enjoy being around each other.”

The United States opened the scoring in the second inning as Turner slugged a 406-foot solo homer to left off a Shota Imanaga fastball.

Murakami tied the score on the first pitch of the second inning, blasting a 432-foot shot off a Merrill Kelly fastball.

Japan took a 2-1 lead later in the inning, knocking Kelly out of the game after loading the bases with one out. Reliever Aaron Loup retired the two batters he faced in the frame, but Lars Nootbaar’s soft groundout brought home the go-ahead run.

Okamoto’s 407-foot homer off a Kyle Freeland slider gave Japan a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

Team USA started well in the seventh as pinch hitter Jeff McNeil drew a four-pitch walk against Taisei Ota and Betts singled to left. However, Trout lined out to right, and Paul Goldschmidt bounced into a double play to end the threat.

Schwarber cut the USA’s deficit to 3-2 after a strong at-bat against Yu Darvish. After working the count to 2-1, Schwarber fouled off six consecutive pitches before getting hold of a splitter and hammering it 436 feet to right-center field to draw the Americans closer.

In the ninth, McNeil drew a leadoff walk against Ohtani. Betts’ double-play grounder then set the stage for the epic Ohtani-Trout matchup.

Ohtani won the duel, getting Trout on a 3-2 sweeping breaking ball that tailed away from him.

“Whether I got him out or he got a hit off me, I didn’t want to take any risks,” Ohtani said of facing Trout. “I wanted to make my best pitch.”

DeRosa said, “If you were going to write a script, I was hoping it would go our way with Mikey (Trout) popping one against Ohtani. But this is real. The WBC is real. The whole world got to see Ohtani come in — big spot, battling. That’s kind of how it was scripted. I just wish it would have gone differently.”

–Walter Villa, Field Level Media

The World Baseball Classic will be back in 2026, and it figures to be played in March again, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of the WBC final between the United States and Japan in Miami, Manfred confirmed that the event will remain on its every-three-years plan and is unlikely to be moved to a different part of the calendar.

The event started in 2006 and was played every three years until the 2020 edition was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The WBC was expanded from 16 to 20 teams this year.

While compelling games and star players have created interest, many U.S. pundits have called for the WBC to be moved to a later point in the calendar — such as the midseason All-Star break — to maximize potential viewership. The current edition is in competition with the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments.

Manfred said, “We have talked about timing until your head hurts. There’s just no perfect time. You can’t really do it after the playoffs because so many have (not been playing for a few weeks). We have talked about something in the middle of the season. I think on balance, although it’s not perfect, this is probably the right place for it.”

Among other topics Manfred touched on:

Continued expansion

The WBC will not continue to expand in an attempt to rival soccer’s World Cup, according to Manfred.

“I don’t foresee or actually want the tournament to be bigger than our traditional format,” Manfred said. “The World Series is always gonna be the World Series, and I don’t see it as an either-or proposition. This is a different kind of competition. We do it to grow the game and internationalize the game.”

Injuries to MLB players

As for complaints about players such as New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz and Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve getting hurt during the WBC, Manfred said that the participants have been so enamored with the experience that they are shrugging off such concerns.

“Maybe the best testimony to it, after the unfortunate injury Diaz had, how the players came out and spoke in support of the tournament,” Manfred said. “It’s an indication that they really, really care.”

Starting pitcher participation

While most WBC lineups were loaded with talent, the same cannot be said about the starting rotations. With MLB teams concerned about protecting arms and the pitchers that do take part placed on tight inning restrictions, many of the game’s best arms opted not to play in the event.

“It’s great the guys that we have,” Manfred said, “but I’d like to see pitching staffs that are of the same quality as our position players.”

–Field Level Media

Tyler Wade knocked a go-ahead RBI double to left in the top of the ninth, and the Oakland Athletics hung on to beat the host Los Angeles Angels 6-5 in a spring training game on Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz.

Cristian Pache started the rally earlier in the ninth when his double-play grounder scored the tying run and put Jose Escorche on third. Then Wade came to the plate and collected his second hit of the day.

Taylor Ward scored an inside-the-park home run for the Angels in the first inning. Ward’s liner to center got past a diving Esteury Ruiz, and the A’s were slow to chase it down. He later added an RBI single.

Luis Rengifo went 3-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, including a solo homer in the fourth that put Los Angeles ahead 5-4.

Yankees 6, Tigers 3

Josh Donaldson homered twice for four RBIs and host New York topped Detroit in Tampa, Fla.

Yankees starter Luis Severino struck out nine batters in four innings, and reliever Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0) struck out the side in the sixth for the win. Kerry Carpenter had a solo homer for the Tigers.

Pirates 4, Phillies 3

Chris Owings scored on a walk-off wild pitch for Pittsburgh to beat visiting Philadelphia in Bradenton, Fla.

Phillies reliever Noah Skirrow (0-1) was responsible for the wild pitch and finished with four walks, two hits and two runs over 2 1/3 innings. Jake Cave hit his third homer of spring training for Philadelphia, while Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen hit his first of the spring, a two-run shot.

Orioles 6, Red Sox 2

Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle launched solo homers in the first inning to power Baltimore to a win over visiting Boston in Sarasota, Fla.

Mountcastle finished 2-for-3 with two runs. Adam Duvall hit a solo shot and scored both Red Sox runs, but starter Chris Sale was shelled for six runs on nine hits over five innings in the loss.

Astros 2, Marlins 1

Chas McCormick and Jeremy Pena hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the third inning, and host Houston hung on to beat Miami in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Astros starter Ronel Blanco (2-0) struck out three and gave up one hit and one walk over three innings, while Bryan Garcia worked a rare four-inning save. The Marlins scored their only run on a Garcia balk.

Nationals 4, Cardinals 4

Host St. Louis scored all its runs — including a bases-loaded walk and two runs on errors — in the bottom of the eighth to forge a tie with Washington in Jupiter, Fla.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty scattered nine hits across 4 2/3 innings, while Nationals starter Josiah Gray was sharper, striking out five and yielding four hits and no walks in six scoreless innings. Washington got a two-run homer from Victor Robles and outhit St. Louis 15-6.

Twins 5, Rays 2

Carlos Correa hit a two-run home run and finished 2-for-3 with two runs to help Minnesota beat visiting Tampa Bay in Fort Myers, Fla.

Christian Vazquez added two RBIs for the Twins. Rene Pinto and Luke Raley hit back-to-back homers in the third to account for the Rays’ runs.

Dodgers 4, Guardians 2

David Peralta’s three-run homer in the second inning boosted Los Angeles’ split squad to a win over host Cleveland in Goodyear, Ariz.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw (1-1) struck out three and allowed two runs on four hits and no walks over five innings. Cam Gallagher hit a two-run double for the Guardians.

Giants 12, Dodgers 1

Thairo Estrada had three hits and three RBIs to help visiting San Francisco pile on the Los Angeles split squad in Glendale, Ariz.

The Giants had 16 hits, hanging six hits and six runs on Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard (1-2) over 4 1/3 innings. Giants starter Alex Wood (1-1) threw five innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts and no walks.

Angels 7, Diamondbacks 1

Anthony Rendon went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run and Jo Adell hit a two-run homer, his fourth of spring training, as visiting Los Angeles beat Arizona in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. supplied the D-backs’ only run with an eighth-inning RBI double.

White Sox 6, Brewers 5

Romy Gonzalez, Gavin Sheets and Adam Haseley all went yard for visiting Chicago in a victory over Milwaukee in Phoenix.

Jake Burger added a two-run ground-rule double and starter Lucas Giolito struck out six batters with just one hit over 4 1/3 innings. The Brewers scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, including Isaac Collins’ two-run single, but fell short of completing the comeback.

–Field Level Media

Arizona Diamondbacks starting catcher Carson Kelly sustained a fractured forearm after getting hit by a pitch during Monday’s game.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo confirmed the fracture to reporters Tuesday but would not give a timeline on Kelly’s return.

It’s expected Kelly will be sidelined 4-6 weeks.

Kelly exited Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox after getting hit by a Gregory Santos pitch in the fourth inning.

Kelly was hitting .320 with a .934 OPS in 10 spring training games.

Kelly came to Arizona in the trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis in December 2018.

Kelly is batting .223 lifetime with 43 home runs in seven seasons with the Cardinals (2016-18) and Diamondbacks.

Kelly was sidelined for six weeks in 2022 with a Grade 2 oblique injury. He also sustained a broken toe and fractured wrist that landed him on the injured list in 2021.

–Field Level Media

MIAMI — Team USA, which prevailed in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2017, is one win away from repeating as champions.

The Americans, who will play Japan for the title on Tuesday night at LoanDepot Park, are clearly excited to go for the gold. USA is 5-1 with a plus-24 run differential in this tournament — though Japan is 6-0 with a plus-37.

“We’re in spring-training mode, but we’re also playing for our country,” USA pitcher Adam Wainwright said. “We’re not playing for money. We’re playing because we love this game, and we love this country.

“I’m proud to be out here.”

Team USA is a 1.5-run favorite at BetMGM, where they have been backed by one-sided action with 89 percent of the spread-line bets and 86 percent of the money.

They opened with a -140 moneyline at the sportsbook, which has shifted only slightly to -135 with the public backing Team USA with 75 percent of the bets and 76 percent of the money.

Wainwright, who won a World Series title in 2006, said he has been impressed with the WBC crowds.

“That is the wildest environment I’ve ever pitched in,” Wainwright said after USA beat Cuba 14-2 in a semifinal game on Sunday. “Fans were going crazy.

“It’s been like that every round. It seems like every fan is on their feet cheering. You can barely hear yourself talk in the dugout. You can barely hear yourself think on the mound. You have to really focus.”

Team USA’s batting order is clearly focused, especially shortstop Trea Turner, who has hit three homers in the past two games, driving in eight runs.

Turner’s two homers on Sunday made him just the second American to hit multiple dingers in a WBC game. Ken Griffey Jr. first accomplished the feat in 2006. Griffey is USA’s current hitting coach.

“I just want to win,” said Turner, who is the first WBC player ever to have four-plus RBI in consecutive games. “That stuff (records) is for my family. I know they’re proud of me. I just like playing baseball and coming out on top.”

There is one concern for USA, however. The Americans could be without star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was hit by a pitch on Sunday. X-rays on his right hand were negative.

As for Tuesday’s pitching matchup, while neither starter has been officially names, the United States has Merrill Kelly lined up to start, while Japan would likely go with Yu Darvish or lefty Shota Imanaga. Kelly and Darvish are both righties.

Kelly, 34, has never pitched a major league postseason game. His career numbers are 36-35 with a 3.96 ERA.

Darvish, 36, is 95-75 with a 3.50 ERA. He does have plenty of playoff experience in the majors, playing in 11 games (all starts). Last season he was 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four playoff games.

Imanaga, 29, has pitched in Japan’s top league for seven seasons, posting a 57-46 record with a 3.24 ERA in 143 career games (24 starts).

Japan advanced in the other semifinal by beating Mexico 6-5 on Monday as Munetaka Murakami slugged two-run, walk-off double in the ninth inning of a wild game that saw Japan score six runs in the final three innings and come from behind twice.

Mexico led 5-4 entering the ninth before Japan rallied, starting with a leadoff double by Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

On Tuesday, Ohtani could be an option out of the bullpen.

“I will be prepared to pitch,” Ohtani said after Monday’s game. “But, before that, I will make sure I put some runs on the board.”

The public is expecting a high-scoring game. The 10-run Over/Under has seen the Over draw 87 percent of the bets and 69 percent of the money.

Japan has probably the deepest pitching staff in the WBC, including Ryoji Kuribayashi, who has 68 saves in two seasons in Japan’s top professional league, the Nippon League. Japan also has Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has a 1.95 career ERA over 733 in the Nippon League.

USA on Tuesday will face a tradition-rich baseball program. Japan, the only team to win consecutive World Baseball Classic titles — prevailing in 2006 and 2009 — has made it to at least the semifinals in every WBC.

–Walter Villa, Field Level Media

Bryce Harper might not be back sooner than expected, but all indications from president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski are the Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger won’t be later than projected, either.

Dombrowski said Tuesday on SportsRadio 94 WIP that the Phillies will hold Harper on the 40-man roster rather than pushing him to the 60-day injured list, which was considered a formality following offseason elbow surgery.

“We’re going to keep our options open,” Dombrowski said.

Harper underwent Tommy John surgery in November and said earlier this month he wasn’t ready to talk about timetables for his potential return to the team.

“I think today we’ll probably go over that a little bit more, get a sense of where they’re at, where I’m at,” Harper said. “I had a great offseason. After I had surgery I felt really good. I still feel good now. I don’t want to put a timeline on anything. I’ve never dealt with anything like an elbow. So it’s definitely different waters for me.”

The Phillies initially said Harper’s likely return would be near the All-Star break in July. Harper said he was comfortable with that projection, but did note the date is subject to change.

“Things can change either way,” Harper said. “I can be after, I can be before. As of now, that’s the date we solidified. We’re not going to rush. We’re going to be smart about it. We knew at the end of the year last year that this might happen. So we’re thankful for the DH — again. I mean, I was so against it, but I’m all about it. I love doing it, too.”

Harper, 30, originally sustained the injury on April 11 and ended up moving from the outfield to designated hitter for the remainder of the season as the Phillies captured their first pennant since 2009.

Harper hit .286 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs in 99 games last season. He batted .349 with six homers and 13 RBIs in 17 postseason games, with the Phillies losing the World Series to the Houston Astros in six games.

The seven-time All-Star has 285 homers, 817 RBIs and a .280 batting average in 1,382 games with the Washington Nationals (2012-18) and Phillies.

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves cleared the way for Orlando Arcia to serve as their regular shortstop, optioning Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

The moves appear to put an end to the three-way competition to find a successor to Dansby Swanson, who left in December to sign a seven-year, $177 million free agent contract with the Chicago Cubs. Ehire Adrianza figures to serve as a utility infielder.

Shewmake, 25, hit .323 with five RBIs in 31 at-bats this spring while Grissom, 22, batted .371 with six RBIs in 35 at-bats. Arcia, 28, is hitting .240 with one homer and four RBIs in 25 at-bats.

Still, the Braves decided to go with Arcia, a strong defender with a major league track record of five-plus seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (2016-21) and Atlanta (2021-22).

In 642 career major league games, Arcia has a .243 batting average, a .295 on-base percentage, a .369 slugging percentage, 53 homers and 223 RBIs.

The Braves also optioned outfielders Eli White and Jordan Luplow and right-handed reliever Nick Anderson to Gwinnett on Monday, and they reassigned catchers Ryan Casteel and Joe Hudson, infielder Yolmer Sanchez and left-hander Danny Young to their minor league camp. The transactions leave 32 players vying for the 26 Opening Day roster spots.

–Field Level Media

MIAMI — Team USA, which prevailed in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2017, is one win away from repeating as champions.

The Americans, who will play Japan for the title on Tuesday night at LoanDepot Park, are clearly excited to go for the gold. USA is 5-1 with a plus-24 run differential in this tournament — though Japan is 6-0 with a plus-37.

“We’re in spring-training mode, but we’re also playing for our country,” USA pitcher Adam Wainwright said. “We’re not playing for money. We’re playing because we love this game, and we love this country.

“I’m proud to be out here.”

Wainwright, who won a World Series title in 2006, said he has been impressed with the WBC crowds.

“That is the wildest environment I’ve ever pitched in,” Wainwright said after USA beat Cuba 14-2 in a semifinal game on Sunday. “Fans were going crazy.

“It’s been like that every round. It seems like every fan is on their feet cheering. You can barely hear yourself talk in the dugout. You can barely hear yourself think on the mound. You have to really focus.”

Team USA’s batting order is clearly focused, especially shortstop Trea Turner, who has hit three homers in the past two games, driving in eight runs.

Turner’s two homers on Sunday made him just the second American to hit multiple dingers in a WBC game. Ken Griffey Jr. first accomplished the feat in 2006. Griffey is USA’s current hitting coach.

“I just want to win,” said Turner, who is the first WBC player ever to have four-plus RBI in consecutive games. “That stuff (records) is for my family. I know they’re proud of me. I just like playing baseball and coming out on top.”

There is one concern for USA, however. The Americans could be without star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was hit by a pitch on Sunday. X-rays on his right hand were negative.

As for Tuesday’s pitching matchup, while neither starter has been officially names, the United States has Merrill Kelly lined up to start, while Japan would likely go with Yu Darvish or lefty Shota Imanaga. Kelly and Darvish are both righties.

Kelly, 34, has never pitched a major league postseason game. His career numbers are 36-35 with a 3.96 ERA.

Darvish, 36, is 95-75 with a 3.50 ERA. He does have plenty of playoff experience in the majors, playing in 11 games (all starts). Last season he was 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four playoff games.

Imanaga, 29, has pitched in Japan’s top league for seven seasons, posting a 57-46 record with a 3.24 ERA in 143 career games (24 starts).

Japan advanced in the other semifinal by beating Mexico 6-5 on Monday as Munetaka Murakami slugged two-run, walk-off double in the ninth inning of a wild game that saw Japan score six runs in the final three innings and come from behind twice.

Mexico led 5-4 entering the ninth before Japan rallied, starting with a leadoff double by Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

On Tuesday, Ohtani could be an option out of the bullpen.

“I will be prepared to pitch,” Ohtani said after Monday’s game. “But, before that, I will make sure I put some runs on the board.”

Japan has probably the deepest pitching staff in the WBC, including Ryoji Kuribayashi, who has 68 saves in two seasons in Japan’s top professional league, the Nippon League. Japan also has Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has a 1.95 career ERA over 733 in the Nippon League.

USA on Tuesday will face a tradition-rich baseball program. Japan, the only team to win consecutive World Baseball Classic titles — prevailing in 2006 and 2009 — has made it to at least the semifinals in every WBC.

–Walter Villa, Field Level Media