PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Even one of the most hesitant on any baseball rule changes tells 93.7 The Fan, he's buying into at least one of them. Nearly 30 years calling Pirates games, Greg Brown says he thinks the pitch clock will have a major impact.
So much so, Brown thinks the pitch clock in Major League Baseball can be what the three-pointer was to the NBA.
Over the weekend we saw a game end when Cal Conley of the Atlanta Braves didn't get back in the box quick enough and was called out on strikes. It was a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied against the Red Sox. Conley didn't get set with eight seconds remaining on the clock and the game ended.
The first player to get called out for breaking this rule is one of the game's biggest and wealthiest stars, Manny Machado. He wasn't set in the box and was given a strike three.
During the Pirates game on KDKA-AM 1020/100.1 FM on Monday, twice the Phillies manager questioned a ruling, one that cost one of his hitters a strike.
"Baseball has assured us, we spent a couple of hours on a Zoom call, MLB announcers last week with some people from Major League Baseball, to go over the rules with us, you can count on it," Brown said on 93.7 The Fan of MLB enforcing the new rule. "There is going to be some arguing that a game or two is going to end on these calls."
The rule is pitchers will have 15 second to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Hitters will need to be in the batter's box with eight seconds on the pitch clock. And as the Braves found out, not just in the box, but ready to hit with eight seconds left. The hitter penalized a strike and the pitchers a ball, no matter the count.
You will notice each stadium will have two clocks behind home plate on either side of the umpire with two more in the outfield on either side of the batter's eye. In Spring Training games, they are required to have only one in the outfield, but you'll see four total at PNC Park this year.
The effect is measurable through a few days, even if it's exhibition games.
"The pacing of these games, even with it getting a little sloppy in the first game, it was still 2:47," Brown said of the Pirates Grapefruit League opener on Saturday. "There were only two games that went over three hours in the first two days. Seattle at Kansas City in Arizona with 15 runs and played in two and a half hours."
"It's a game-changer."
It may take some getting used to, but in a league marred by incredibly long games and many pauses between the action, even one of the biggest diehards and someone against rule changes likes this one.
But one thing, Brown said don't call it a pitch clock, rather a pace clock. He said Pirates pitchers have been giving him grief, saying loitering during at bats is as much with the hitters as the pitchers.
Something to watch all year, the impact the pace clock has on the popularity of the game.
