By Rory Carroll

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Pedro Martinez credited the emergence of generational talents like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, as well a faster pace of play, for the recent surge in baseball’s popularity but the Hall of Fame pitcher says a labor showdown could stall that momentum.

Major League Baseball implemented a raft of rule changes in 2023 after seeing attendances and ratings wane, introducing a pitch clock and expanding the role of video replays.

Attendances at games rose for a third consecutive season in 2025 while televised national and local games, as well as games in Japan, all saw viewership increase, according to MLB and broadcasters.

“The quality of players, the quality you play, I have to give MLB a lot of credit,” Martinez told Reuters.

“And they’re stepping u

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