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A16 SPORTS
Wednesday 22 February 2023

On the clock: New timer will affect more than just pitchers

By NOAH TRISTER call time once per plate “What was really removed “There’s tons of talent that’s gagement. After a pitcher
AP Baseball Writer appearance, stopping the from the game was that spread around the league, has used his two disen-
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — As countdown. dead time pitchers walk- and hitters are doing their gagements, he can still at-
one of the game’s top tempt a pickoff, but it bet-
prospects, Grayson Rodri- ter be successful. If the bas-
guez will probably make his erunner gets back safely,
debut for the Baltimore Ori- a balk is assessed and the
oles pretty soon, and then runner advances.
the 23-year-old right-hand- The restriction on pickoff
er can begin adjusting to throws serves two purpos-
the big leagues. es. It limits a tedious aspect
In one respect, he has a of the game fans sure are
critical head start: Rodri- quick to boo pickoff at-
guez has plenty of experi- tempts and it encourages
ence with the pitch clock aggressive baserunning in
that was tested in the mi- a sport that’s increasingly
nors and will now be used defined by home runs and
in the majors. strikeouts.
“I was a big fan of it,” he In the minor league test run,
said. stolen base attempts went
“Obviously, it speeds up up from 2.23 per game in
the game. As a pitcher, it’s 2019 to 2.81 last year. The
kind of what you want. Big success rate improved from
league hitters take a long 68% to 78%.
time to get to the plate. “Any time they implement
That drives me crazy, so this a new rule or something,
pitch clock kind of expedit- you think you know what’s
ing the process, I like it a going to happen, and then
lot.” people kind of weaponize
Not everyone is as sanguine The new pitch clock is seen at Salt River Field Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Scottsdale, Ariz. it to their advantage,” said
about the new timers and Associated Press Philadelphia shortstop Trea
whether you’re a pitcher, a Turner, who has 230 career
catcher, a hitter or a bas- steals with an 85% success
erunner, there’s no hiding “You kind of have to short- ing around the mound, homework just as much as rate. “Hopefully it’s more
from this rule change. Of all en your routine up to the batters fixing their batting we’re doing ours, but I think stolen bases for everybody
of baseball’s tweaks under plate, while I guess clean- gloves, taking extra pitches it takes a little bit more time just makes it more exciting.”
Commissioner Rob Man- ing out the box or talking to in the bullpen, walking in to kind of strategize and MLB has made other
fred, the pitch clock might the umpire or the catcher,” from there.” find ways to incorporate changes in recent years to
be the one that affects the said Atlanta outfielder Mi- Games early in the season, those things.” reduce the time fans spend
most players. chael Harris II, last year’s in the second week, includ- Velasquez doesn’t like waiting limiting mound vis-
The clocks will be posi- National League Rook- ed an average of 1.73 vio- the pitch clock, and his its, for example, or sending
tioned behind the plate ie of the Year. “I kind of lations. teammate, catcher Kevin the batter to first base im-
and beyond the outfield, went through it in Double- By week 24, that figure was Plawecki, has concerns mediately on an intentional
where pitchers and hitters A, so I kind of know how down to 0.41. When sur- about the punishments. walk.
can easily see them. They’ll that works and how it can veyed, about 90% of both “I feel like when you start Those rules, however, af-
count down from 30 sec- speed up the game, but I pitchers and position play- doing automatic strikes, fect a limited number of
onds between batters. Be- guess it takes some getting ers said they adjusted to automatic balls, automatic situations.
tween pitches, it will be 15 used to.” the pitch timer within about runners advancing to bas- Even the automatic runner
seconds with nobody on The goal is indeed to speed a month. If big leaguers get es, automatic runs scoring on second base a drastic
and 20 if there’s a baserun- up play, specifically by lim- used to it that quickly, they possibly, just based off of invention, to be sure only
ner. T iting the parts of the game should be ready around a step off, or a pickoff, to comes into play in extra in-
he pitcher must start his de- fans find particularly te- the end of spring training. me I think that just changes nings.
livery before the clock ex- dious. Still, there’s a difference the integrity of the game,” The pitch clock, on the
pires. According to Major League between compliant minor Plawecki said. other hand, will be in effect
After a pitch, the clock Baseball, the pitch timer re- leaguers and big league When a pitcher fails to throw from start to finish every
starts again when the duced nine-inning games veterans who are used a pitch in time, the penalty game.
pitcher has the ball back, by a whopping 25 minutes to a certain routine and is an automatic ball. When The hope is that players
the catcher and batter are last year in the minors, from the amount of information a batter isn’t ready in time, can adjust well enough
in the circle around home 3 hours, 3 minutes in 2021 available to major leaguers it’s an automatic strike. The that obeying the clock
plate, and play is otherwise to 2:38. And other stats like can make pitcher-batter clock would be easy to becomes second nature.
ready to resume. runs per game, batting av- showdowns a mental bat- circumvent if the pitcher Perhaps some of the more
So efficient communica- erage and the rate of hit tle in addition to a physical could simply step off the skeptical voices will even
tion between the pitcher batters were essentially un- one. rubber or throw a pickoff to start to appreciate it.
and catcher is important, changed. “In this game, it’s all about stall for time. “Maybe I’ll like it, maybe it
because the clock is tick- “The games were short- strategizing and really find- To eliminate that loophole, won’t be as big of a change
ing. The batter has a re- ened, but not at the ex- ing ways to get guys out. pitchers are only allowed as I think,” Plawecki said. “I
sponsibility, too. pense of game play,” said I think that’s the unique two disengagements per don’t anticipate it really
He needs to be in the box Joe Martinez, a former big thing about baseball now- plate appearance. Pick- being a huge issue, but it’s
and alert to the pitcher league pitcher who is now adays,” Pittsburgh right- off attempts count toward something we’re all going
with at least eight seconds MLB’s vice president for on- hander Vince Velasquez that limit. to have to be obviously
on the clock. Batters can field strategy. said. The clock resets on a disen- cognizant of.”q