Pitching with a New Rule

For a very long time, pitching and hitting in Major League Baseball have been under the same rules. Pitch Clock, which was added in the 2023 season, has changed the way baseball is played.

Starting last year, Major League Baseball changed the rules of the game and implemented a pitch-clock. Pitchers now get fifteen seconds before having to pitch a ball and the batter has to be in the box before eight seconds are up or a violation is given. This stopped batters from taking their time doing their rituals or routines before stepping into the box for an at-bat. It prevented pitchers from playing around on the mound for a long amount of time and to stop trying to pick off the runners on base as much. Pitch clock has tended tended more to the casual fans who usually only watch the big games like the playoffs, most often they argued games were too long and don’t want to watch a whole nine innings like more die-hard fans.

The players have had mixed opinions as some like it while others don’t. Starting pitchers seem to be getting a groove of the pitch clock and are coming up with different strategies of how to manipulate it. Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell who are starting pitchers both had great years and won the CY Young award. These strategies include quick pitching and possibly using all the time up before pitching. According to an article titled, Pitchers are adamant, Chris Bassit commented: “I think we’re going to quickly realize,” Bassitt said, “that it’s more so going to be, ‘How can we use this against the hitters?” Chris Bassitt is a starting pitcher and thinks the pitchers have the advantage in this new rule.  

Batters and pitchers are not together on this new rule. The big sluggers seem to not like the pitch-clock and feel it is a violation of their time. In the same article, slugger and former MVP Aaron Judge commented: “I completely forgot about it until about three pitches in, and then I had to kind of check myself because I was getting into the box around eight or nine seconds.” The new rule has definitely caused a challenge for sluggers. They are used to being able to collect their minds after pitches but don’t necessarily get a chance to do so unless a timeout is called now. These sluggers are realizing starting pitchers seemingly have the upper hand in a at bat now.

Starting pitchers seem to be doing fine with the rule, however, relief pitchers have been struggling to adapt to the pitch clock. This could possibly be because they are not getting as much time on the mound as starting pitchers so it is hard to get comfortable with it. Craig Kimbrel, who is a closer, commited over three violations in just one inning in 2023. Alex Vesia has also been feeling these struggles. In the article, How are MLB’s pitchers handling the pitch clock?, Alex Vesia claimed: “It was not good,” Vesia recalled to FOX Sports this week. “I felt really, really rushed. My first spring training outing, I was nervous to go out there because I didn’t know how much the clock was going to affect me. But then after the first one, I was like, ‘OK, I can do it.’” While they are willing to adjust, it has been a hard change for relief pitchers.

Pitch-clock is clearly getting to certain pitchers and batters while also helping out others. It is a balance that these players will have to find and they will have to adjust to the new rules in place. The relief pitchers and sluggers who are struggling are willing to adjust and adapt but only time will tell how well they do it.

Major league batters who had long batting routines seem to be struggling the most out of any hitters. It was a staple in their walk up to the plate and it has now been limited because of the pitch clock. In the article titled, How the MLB pitch clock became a batter’s problem, Anna Brand wrote: “But the league’s new pitch clock rules, introduced this year to accelerate a game that can bleed into three hours, will result in another unintended casualty: quirky batter routines.” These batters who used to take so long to get in the box, are now having to find a way to shorten their routines and practice swings to get ready in time for the pitch.

We have never seen pitch-clock in the MLB before but we have still seen it. In 2022, the Triple-A and Double-A minor leagues tested out the pitch-clock and it went great. These minor leaguers were noticeably better at handling it when called up to the big leagues compared to the big league veterans who have been there for years. It worked exactly how the MLB wanted it to while also providing a few clues on how to make it better and what tweaks are needed when it was implemented the next year in the major leagues. After one year of pitch clock so far it has gone well. Most fans are now on board and most players support the rules.

Pitch-clock was never meant to hurt pitchers or batters, it always was meant to make the game better and make players better at what they do. Pitch-clock was the result of fans and the commissioner complaining the game was too long. Players have now adapted after a year and it will be interesting to see how pitch-clock will affect the 2024 year of baseball. The players seem to be in a better spot now then where they were a year ago when dealing with the new rule. Fear and nervousness, however, always come with change when change is implemented. The rules could possibly change in the future and that is a very big possibility. With any type of rule comes the possibility of change in the future. The simple solution to possibly changing pitch-clock could be for the players to ask the commissioner to change them.

While pitch clock has shown effects on certain types of hitters and pitchers, there are reasons why these effects have been put in place. The pitch clock 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.

While many pitchers have already adapted to the new Pitch Clock rules, a popular objection is that they favor the offense at the expense of defensive efficiency and pitcher statistics. This is most likely because fans see that the bags have increased in size and because the pitcher has become limited in how many times he can try and pick off a runner. It makes an impression that these rules are hurting pitchers and the defense behind them.

This argument that pitchers have only gotten worse and defense isn’t as good is wrong. While there have been pitchers who have struggled adapting to the new rule, there are plenty of others who are striving and have gotten increasingly better because of the pitch clock. One of these pitchers is San Francisco Giants player Blake Snell. ESPN’s stats go on to show in 2022 before pitch clock was enabled, Snell had a 3.38 ERA. In previous years he was even higher getting in the fours at times. In 2023, when the pitch clock was introduced, Snell had a 2.25 ERA. The funny part is, Snell was resistant to these rules at first. In an ESPN article titled What players think of MLB’s new rules, Blake commented this when asked what his favorite part of the new rules was: “None that I can think of.” Someone who clearly wasn’t a fan of the changes ended up having one of his best years in his career and won Cy Young.

Gerrit Cole was dominant in years without the pitch clock. Recently however, in the two years before pitch clock was added, he had his ERA in the three’s range. According to ESPN, Last year he dropped from a 3.5 ERA to a 2.63 ERA. These changes in rules have in a way, certainly revived Cole’s career. Winning the Cy Young can allow Cole to get more money out of a contract as he has proven he has more worth than any other American League pitcher. Another pitcher who almost dropped a whole number’s worth and also won the Cy Young award. Another pitcher who benefited was Sonny Gray. A guy who wasn’t on a lot of radars before 2023 had a 2.79 ERA and became a CY Young candidate. It is clear that the pitch clock is having some sort of effect on certain pitchers. One of the things the rule does is give pitchers less time to think. The seconds counting down before the pitchers have to pitch could be leading to them just throwing instead of thinking about the pitch they should throw and the batter that is up. Cy Young is the biggest award a pitcher can win. For Snell and Cole to win it in the same year their ERA got that much better shows there is some sort of correlation to the new rules. 

While the argument is that the pitch clock is making pitchers worse, there is also something to be said about the batters. If the pitchers were truly only getting worse, then that must mean the batters have to be getting better and their averages must be going up. This is also not the case. Multiple batters have been really struggling after the new rule was added and some of those batters have been superstars that are supposed to be the team’s leaders. One of these players is Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. According to ESPN’s stats, Kyle had a batting average of .218 in 2022. In the next season, he batted a low .197 in 2023. A .021 decrease in batting average. If pitchers were really getting worse Kyle should’ve most likely batted a lot higher than that. 

 Nolan Arenado who is another superstar in the league also had his batting average decrease. In 2022 he batted .293, in 2023 he batted .265. These are two batters who are known to have long routines before stepping in the box. Then the pitch clock has made them shorten their routines and step in the box quickly. This is resulting in the pitcher at times manipulating the pitch clock and firing the ball as soon as the batter is in the box. The rule seems to actually benefit pitchers more than batters. The argument that it is making pitchers worse clearly does not take the batters who the pitchers are facing into account. Batters dropping their averages down that much shows the pitch clock is clearly causing more problems to batters, especially since the pitcher can now take control of an at bat in the way they want.

A part of the argument is that because the pitchers are getting worse, defense is also getting worse. This is most likely because if the pitchers’ ERAs are increasing, that must mean defense isn’t as good. Players are disagreeing with this argument. The players actually think the opposite and some are actually going on to say defense seems to be getting better with the new rule. In an article titled, Is MLB’s Pitch Clock Leading to Better Defense?, Kolten Wong commented: “I think it’s helping defensively a lot, just because you don’t have the down time to really kind of walk around.” If the players in the league are saying that defense is getting better, it is most likely getting better. Players are the ones playing the game, fans simply just watch it. They don’t actually know how it feels or what it is like. For a player to come out and say something positive about it shows fan’s arguments aren’t always valid. The pitch clock actually increases defense for a huge reason. Players do not have lots of time in between pitches now to look around, adjust their gloves, or any of the other distractions. Wong also stated, “You’re not cleaning dirt, you’re constantly back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. So, I’m a big fan of it.” With the players on their feet at all times now, pitchers have to be getting better. The players are now more focused behind the pitcher and are always ready to make plays. That shows that pitchers are not only getting worse because of the new rule but actually getting better.

References:

Brand, A. (2023, March 30). How the MLB pitch clock became a batter’s problem. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/us/mlb-pitch-clock-batters-dg/index.html

ESPN Internet Ventures. (n.d.). Blake Snell – San Francisco Giants starting pitcher. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33748 

ESPN Internet Ventures. (n.d.-b). Gerrit Cole – New York Yankees starting pitcher. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32081 

ESPN Internet Ventures. (n.d.-c). Kyle Schwarber – Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33712 

ESPN Internet Ventures. (n.d.). What players think of MLB’s new rules. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36387464/mlb-players-react-2023-pitch-clock-rules

FOX Sports. (n.d.). How are MLB’s slowest pitchers handling the pitch clock? FOX Sports. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/how-are-mlbs-slowest-pitchers-handling-the-pitch-clock

Is MLB’s pitch clock leading to better defense? some players and coaches think so. (n.d.). https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2023-07-06/is-mlbs-pitch-clock-leading-to-better-defense-some-players-and-coaches-think-so

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