Pitching to Excellence

Pitch clock in the MLB has given numerous effects on pitchers in MLB. Starting pitchers are starting to get used to the rule and adapt. Relief pitchers are struggling more because they don’t have as much experience with the rule as starting pitchers. Pitch clock has also had its effects on batters. Sluggers are struggling as well as batters who have long routines. Whether they are batters or pitchers, the rule has had effects on the positions and they will have to find a new way to approach playing the game.

Pitch clock has had multiple effects on pitchers such as pitchers are now able to pitch faster and not have to wait as much time in between pitches. Pitchers are able to do this now because batters are required to be in the box and set before the clock reaches eight seconds. The batter is not able to slow down the pitcher. The pitcher now seems to have the advantage. In the article, Ask Hal: So who benefits most from MLB pitch clock, Hal Mccoy comments, “It seems, though, that the pitcher has the slight advantage. The time clock has disrupted batter routines like adjusting batting gloves and taking strolls outside the batter’s box after every pitch.” Batters are not able to disrupt the pitcher like they previously did and now it has flipped and the pitcher is able to disrupt the batter.

Batters have seemingly got the short end of the stick when it comes to pitch clock. They have to be ready as soon as they get in the batter’s box whereas the pitcher can take a few seconds if needed once standing on the mound. An imbalance is put in place when the pitcher has the whole fifteen seconds to pitch. The batter only gets eight of those seconds. To be fair the batter would also have to get those fifteen seconds. The batters are not getting as much time as the pitchers. In the article, Pitchers are Adamant, Zach Crizer claims: “At eight seconds, hitters are required to be in the box and alert. At that point, pitchers can fire the ball to the plate — ready or not — or simply hold it and make the batter squirm.” The batters can call time to try and be ready for the pitch, however, they only get one timeout per at bat so it isn’t as easy for the batters to get ready for a pitch.

Pitchers have been testing out ways to get better with the pitch clock and because of that, some pitchers are seemingly better with improving their tempo. Tempo is always apart of the game and one of the most key things for a pitcher. Tempo can be what gets them into a groove or just helps them relax as they have a set time for everything. That was tested going into 2023. In an article titled Breaking down the Pitch Clock, Devin Wiles wrote: “In 2022, the average time between pitches with bases empty among qualified pitchers was 18.3 seconds (this includes time between batters). Due to the implementation of the pitch timer, this number decreased to 15.4 in 2023. A similar percent change was seen with runners on base, with time between pitches decreasing from 23.2 to 19.1 seconds between ‘22 and ‘23.” For a pitchers tempo to decrease almost three whole seconds in pretty big, especially when there are no runners on base because that is when the clock is at its full length. If a pitcher has a fast tempo, it can sometimes cause serious issues for the batters they face. It at at times results in lots of strikeouts and the batters not being able to find a groove or pitch they like in an at bat.

Pitch clock has also changed the time of the game. Games have gotten shorter as a result of the pitch clock. It is more fast paced and action packed because of the new rule. The pitch clock has resulted in games being two and a half hours instead of the grueling three hours some fans don’t like. In the article titled, Baseball’s pitch clock has transformed game length, Ben Lindbergh comments: “One minute, there were still three MLB games going on; roughly six minutes later, all three were over, and baseball was done for the day.” The game length tends to be similar now across the league in a seemingly good way. It appears games are wrapping up quicker then before and for three games to get done all within the same time as each other shows how much games are being sped up.

Time limits on the pitch clock change depending on the situation and have serious potential consequences. When violations are committed, it can and has completely flipped the outcome of games and what happens on the next pitch. If no runners are on base pitchers get fifteen seconds. When runners are on, pitchers get twenty seconds to pitch. In one instance, Craig Kimbrel took too much time off the clock and received a violation which later ended up in a walk. This put a runner on base and when Alek Thomas hit a two run home run in the next at bat, it caused the damage to be much worse and tie the game up. While batters get less time to get ready, having more time can clearly end up still costing the pitcher as they might overthink the situation their in.

While the pitch clock has caused some serious changes to the game of baseball, it has overall been a good change and the fans are starting to get on board. Whether it is a casual fan or a die-hard fan, most fans agree the games were just too long to watch and would often get bored. All the routines and playing around in between the game was not satisfying to them. The pitch clock has changed that and made the game more enjoyable.

References:

Lindbergh, B. (2023b, May 1). Baseball’s pitch clock has transformed game length-and not just in the obvious way. The Ringer. https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2023/5/1/23706488/pitch-clock-2023-shorter-games-uniform-duration

Wiles, D. (2024, March 1). Breaking down the pitch clock: An analysis of baseball’s big rule change. M. https://msabr.com/2024/03/01/breaking-down-the-pitch-clock-an-analysis-of-baseballs-big-rule-change/

Writer, H. M. – C. (n.d.). Ask Hal: So who benefits most from MLB pitch clock?. dayton. https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/ask-hal-so-who-benefits-most-from-mlb-pitch-clock/YI2NYCIC5ZBALNY3B2NXIJDMII/

Yahoo! (n.d.). Pitchers are adamant: MLB’s pitch clock will give them an edge over hitters. will spring training games prove it? Yahoo! Sports. https://sports.yahoo.com/pitchers-are-adamant-mlbs-pitch-clock-will-give-them-an-edge-over-hitters-will-spring-training-games-prove-it-175136106.html