NEW YORK — If you think the World Series sped by, it did.

Nine-inning games averaged 3 hours, 1 minute, the fastest since 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The first postseason of the pitch clock also included defensive shift limits and larger bases, leading to increased stolen bases and appearing to contribute to higher batting averages.

Postseason nine-inning games overall averaged 3:02, down from 3:23 last year and 3:37 in 2021, the last season before the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device. That mirrored a regular season with an average game time of 2:40, the lowest since 1985.

Just one postseason game topped 4 hours, when the Rangers beat Arizona in an 11-inning World Series opener. Six of 40 postseason games exceeded 4 hours in 2022.

Three World Series games ended in under 3 hours, including the first consecutive games since 2006.

The faster pace didn’t help ratings, though. The Texas-Arizona showdown averaged 9.11 million viewers, making it the least-watched Fall Classic in TV history.

BLUE JAYS: Carlos Febles, a former manager of the Portland Sea Dogs., was hired as third base coach of the Blue Jays, who expanded the duties of bench coach Don Mattingly to include the title of offensive coordinator.

Febles, 47, was a second baseman for Kansas City from 1998-03 and joined the Blue Jays after 17 seasons coaching in the Boston Red Sox organization. He replaced Luis Rivera, who retired after last season.

Febles managed more than 900 games in Boston’s minor league system before joining the Red Sox as infield instructor in 2017. He was Boston’s third base coach from 2018-23.

Mattingly, a former New York Yankees captain and Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami manager, was hired as Toronto’s bench coach in November 2022.

YANKEES: Owner Hal Steinbrenner questioned current and former players along with staff on whether to keep Aaron Boone before deciding if the New York manager will return next year.

New York faded from contention by mid-August and finished 82-80, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Boone, 50, replaced Joe Girardi before the 2018 season. Boone has a 509-361 record but hasn’t reached the World Series, which New York last won in 2009.

AWARDS: Baltimore Orioles GM Mike Elias was voted Major League Baseball’s executive of the year after the team finished with the American League’s best record for the first time since 1997.

Baltimore went 101-61 with a $67 million payroll, 29th among the 30 teams and ahead of only Oakland. After their first 100-win season since 1980, the Orioles were swept in the Division Series by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.

WHITE SOX: Marcus Thames was hired as the hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox, who lured him from a similar job with the Los Angeles Angels.

Thames joined Manager Pedro Grifol’s staff after spending last season in that role with Los Angeles.

ATHLETICS: As the losses piled up for a second straight season under his watch, Mark Kotsay regularly walked through Oakland’s clubhouse after games to check in with players, encourage them and even turn the music on to lift everybody’s spirits when needed.

The Athletics believe in Kotsay’s leadership through all of the challenges and changes, exercising the manager’s contract option for 2025.

The club made the announcement about Kotsay’s future following a 50-112 season that followed a 60-102 record for Kotsay’s first season in 2022.

Kotsay played for the Portland Sea Dogs in 1997.