![]() ![]() While the elimination of the shift will play a major role in the outcome of games, the idea of timing a baseball game in any way is already being debated…and in some cases labeled as blasphemy by purists.Īs a longtime baseball fan, I am torn between preserving the tradition of the game (no timing) and the prospect of a more “tidy” nine innings that will potentially attract new and younger fans while getting us home from the ballpark a little earlier. There are also larger bases in play to hopefully cut down on injuries and player collisions. Among the others are the elimination of the extreme infield “shift,” with the new rule stating that there must be two infielders on each side of second base when a pitch is thrown. Of course, this is only one of a handful of changes MLB has implemented for the 2023 season. ![]() The new rules also state that there should be no more than 30 seconds between batters.Īre these new “pace-of-play” rules a novel idea to help improve/update America’s pastime or a rude intrusion of the only of the four major sports that has always prided itself on being absent of a running timer? Hitters have to be facing the pitcher by the eight-second mark or they will be tagged with an automatic strike. Pitchers are also limited to two disengagements, such as a pickoff attempt or step-off, per plate appearance. Tested successfully at the minor league level where it shaved an average of 25 minutes off games, the idea is to dispense of the “dead time” in games, forcing both the pitcher and the batter alike to “speed things up.”Īfter receiving the ball from the catcher or umpire, the pitchers are required to begin their motion within 15 seconds with the bases empty or within 20 seconds with runners on base. Sure, there will still be the sound of the home plate umpire bellowing out ball and strike calls, the call of hot dog vendors peddling their confections up and down the aisles of the stadiums, and the amplifying of a player’s favorite “walk-up” song to home plate.īut the sound (be it silent) of a pitch clock?įor the first time in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, the league has implemented a pitch clock for the 2023 season in an attempt to speed up the length of games played. Tick, tick, tick…what’s that unfamiliar sound at the ballpark?įor both the lifelong baseball fan as well the newcomer to America’s pastime, some of the sights and sounds of the ballpark may not ring familiar this season. ![]()
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