Baseball’s pitch clocks
There are but a few things that gain unanimous approval in America these days.
Several of those brand-new Major League Baseball changes seem to be very close to getting across-the-board raves.
(When I write 鈥渁cross-the-board raves,鈥� I鈥檓 saying I haven鈥檛 seen anybody claim they honestly hate the new changes.)
The baseball gods have finally figured out that many games must鈥檝e seemed mighty slow to some fans. That three-and-a-half or four hours for even a beloved team蘑菇视频 162 games wasn鈥檛 a good way to attract younger 鈥渁nts in their pants鈥� fans.
Besides, baseball games don鈥檛 come equipped with 鈥渃lickable鈥� screens.
Sitting motionless with nothing in your hands except popcorn and candy cotton may have bored 10-year-olds.
So, they鈥檝e instituted something called 鈥減itch clocks,鈥� to help keep the action flowing, or as they say, to boost the 鈥減ace-of-play.鈥�
The pitcher gets 15 seconds to throw a pitch (when the bases are empty; 20 with runners on base). When the pitcher doesn鈥檛 throw the ball on time, they award the batter a ball. When the pitcher is ready, but the batter isn鈥檛, the pitcher is awarded a strike.
This might not seem simple until you see it in action. (I鈥檇 like to show you here, but they haven鈥檛 devised a way to show pitching, hitting and strike-calling in the middle of newspaper columns.)
I鈥檒l try harder.
There are other time-condensing measures, newly instituted.
There now are only 30 seconds between batters. And there is now only a 2-minute, 15-second break between innings.
So far, the changes have tended to trim, on average, 31 minutes per game.
Each year, my wife, Terry, and I watch as many as 150 games on TV. We haven鈥檛 quite figured out what to do with the extra time we鈥檙e gonna have.
I鈥檓 sure in today蘑菇视频 America, some people dislike the new changes.
Those are the folks who probably enjoy watching batters meander around endlessly, tightening their batting gloves while talking to themselves 鈥� between every pitch.
I鈥檓 not in that camp.
I鈥檓 old enough to have seen Roberto Clemente play in person. I don鈥檛 remember him ever pausing between pitches. He鈥檇 take one swing, then another, then another before the pitcher threw the first pitch. I think he wanted to get things over with in a hurry.
That was a joke. Except for the part about seeing him play in person.
Back when I saw Mr. Clemente play at Forbes Field, he had to adjust to rule changes, too.
Before he was signed to play for the Pirates, the 鈥渟trike zone鈥� had been redefined in 1950 as from the armpits to the top of the knees. In 1963, the strike zone was enlarged to be from the top of the shoulders to the bottom of the knees. And in 1969, the strike zone was shrunken to the area from the armpits to the top of the batter蘑菇视频 knees (baseball-almanac.com).
No wonder batters would meander after every pitch, huh?
Before 1857, game winners were determined by the team that reached 21 runs first. That year, though, the game winner was determined by who was ahead in the game after nine innings.
Back in 1879, there were no called balls or strikes. A batter could stand at home plate and wait until they saw a pitch they liked. As many as nine of them.
But that changed in 1880. A batter could take a base after eight balls were called. In 1884, that number was reduced to six balls. And reduced again in 1887 鈥� to five balls. And finally, in 1889 a batter got a 鈥渂ase on balls鈥� after four pitches.
This season not only has the average game been shortened, but it蘑菇视频 said that hitting and base stealing have gotten an overall boost, too.
There is one NON-RULE change that I鈥檝e never heard a positive thing about 鈥� the so-called ghost-runner.
In 2020, games that were tied after nine innings gave teams free runners on second base. In 2023, that silly rule was made permanent.
Not a good move.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.