The implementation of a strict pitch clock across Minor League Baseball has shaved 20 minutes off game times, dramatically speeding up the pace while not having a noticeable effect on scoring, setting the stage for Major League Baseball to implement a clock in the 2023 season.
The average game time was 2 hours, 39 minutes over the first 132 minor league games that included a 14-second clock with the bases empty, 18-second clock with runners on and penalties for pitchers and hitters that run afoul of it. In a set of 335 games run without the clock to begin the season, games lasted an average of 2 hours, 59 minutes, the same as the average in 5000 non-clock games during the 2021 season.
One game that finished in 1 hour, 59 minutes and another that ended in 2 hours were both minor league games. Almost three times as many games fell within the 2:30 to 2:40 range as in the previous year. Only 15% of games lasted more than three hours, compared to 22% of games last season.
The non-clock test set yielded 5.13 runs and 16.1 hits per game, while the clock games yielded 5.11 runs and 15.9 hits.
It seemed like it accomplished what MLB wants the game to look like in a few years, according to Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft and a catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For nearly a decade, MLB has tinkered with pitch clocks in an effort to find the secret sauce to speed up games and not dramatically alter the run- scoring environment. With a faster pitch timer, a limit on the number of times a pitcher can step off and ball-strike penalties for hitters and pitchers, MLB may have found the balance that will arrive in major league stadiums next season and address average game times that ballooned last season to 3 hours, 11 As the weather warms, the number of games will increase to 3 hours, 10 minutes.
The new collective bargaining agreement gave MLB the ability to implement new rules with a 45 day advance notice. The league used to have to inform the MLB Players Association of on-field changes one year in advance. The shorter window will allow MLB to gather data throughout the minor league season and fashion major league rules according to what it finds.
Morgan Sword, the MLB executive vice president who is overseeing the rules changes, said that they are encouraged by the early results.
The 14- and 18-second timers are the most aggressive since MLB first toyed with a pitch clock. In the first 132 games with it, umpires assessed 258 violations, including 73 automatic strikes for hitters who were not ready when the clock reached the 9-second mark and 186 automatic balls for pitchers who did not deliver pitches before the clock expired.
The combination of the clock and limitations of two pick-off throws or mound step-offs has prompted an 18% increase in stolen-base efforts, with nearly three attempts per game with the timer in place compared to 2.51 per game with no timer last season. The average number of stolen bases per game was the lowest in 50 years.
At 2 seconds, it's either pitch or pick. The majority of guys want to pitch, according to the recent call up from the Triple-A to the major league of the Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Phoenix Sanders. We only have a limited amount of time to hold the ball. hitters may figure it out moving forward.
The limitation of pickoffs and step-offs in the low-A California League led to the most dramatic decrease in game times. Major League Baseball expanded the rule across the minor league system as part of a suite of changes that also include shift limitations and 18-inch bases.
The combination of a pitch clock and step-off rules is the most significant of the rules changes so far. The pitch clock is a disaster and we are trying to do way too much to this game, according to longtime major league pitcher, and now with Boston's Triple-A affiliate, Derek Holland.
Dr. Mike Sonne, a biomechanist with an expertise in muscle fatigue, wrote that he is concerned that pitcher injuries will increase due to a pitch clock. In the California League, where the pitch clock was used last season, pitching injuries were lower than at all other levels.
The game moved quicker than the sample this season as the batting averages and home run rates remained relatively stable. The time between pitches went from 21.5 seconds to 19.7. Umpires were mandated to speed up the pace, with the time between the batter and the pitcher dropping from 43 seconds to 39.7, and the breaks being shaved from 2 minutes, 39 seconds to 2 minutes, 27 seconds.
Josh Hejka, a relief pitcher with the New York Mets, said that the pace has increased. hitters and pitchers need to get back in the box and back on the mound to throw quicker.
There is definitely some annoyances. The pitch clock goes until you start your delivery and not when you come set because it limits their ability to vary their holds on the mound. The lack of ability to pick off is frustrating. We have to adapt to it or someone else will take our place.
The report was contributed to by Jesse Rogers and Joon Lee.
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