The nice part about the pitch clock is it isn't just for the pitcher. It also cuts down on the crazy batting routines that would happen before every pitch.
Yes. The game should be about the pitching and the hitting, not the mind games and meta-manipulation and throwing the other team off their groove. No stalling. No farting around, no stretching things out so the bullpen can warm up. There’s a pitch coming, get in there and hit.
I went to spring training a couple of times before the clock, and even the big name hitters would get in the box and stay there without having to adjust their batting gloves and all protective devices between every pitch and it didn't seem to affect their abilities.
@@Fishmorph the pitch clock just adds to the mind games. Look at what Scherzer is doing and saying. Really good pitchers with mental will abuse the hell out of this.
Im more of a traditional guy and was originally against some of the changes. I have become a massive fan of the pitch clock and think it will make games a lot more enjoyable. So far this spring, has made a big difference
I'm not a traditional guy, in fact I hate it, I'm more of an adapt to the times guy, but I agree, most MLB rule changes have been dumb. This one, I love
@@ryukenhondaraiden Exactly. This is the way the game used to be played. I hate that they had to mandate a rule, but the game had gotten to be almost a joke.
I am a long-time, hardcore baseball fan. Played the game, coached the game, love the game. I was really against adding a time element to the "timeless" game. Over the last couple years I've changed my mind. This is a perfect example of why. Thanks for the clip.
@@triprolo I'm curious as to why you disagree. Certainly you can't think that waiting for Baez to pitch was exciting to watch. To me, it was painful. baseball is still timeless in that there is no clock attached to an inning (unlike say 20 mins for hockey or 12 for basketball). Games can be two hours or four hours. So I'm curious as to why you think the pitch clock has fundamentally changed things
@@EndeavoursRadio, First of all, it doesn't matter what I say, you're not prepared to agree with me. But I love the slowness of the game. I love to relax and watch a baseball game. I watch Little League all the way to the Majors. It's meant to be played slow because there is strategy involved in messing up the batter or the pitcher's rhythm. It's called the National Pastime for a reason. In today's society, everyone wants things fast. I don't. I like it slow. I plan my day around a ballpark visit. Again, it doesn't matter what you or I think because Manfred will screw the game up the way he wants to anyway and he's not calling us for our opinion.
@@triprolo For me, the games don't all that rushed. I have watched many games this year, and some of them have even gone past the three hour mark and that's okay with me. Slowness/pace and pace isn't the issue for. It's all the time wasting in between. By the way, that is relatively new phenomenon. Up until the 80s, games were regular 2.5 hours or less. It was only with inflated salaries, steroids and egos, that we saw games inch along. I enjoy the humour that can arise out of delay of game, whether it be through a challenge, rules check or a crazy inning. THat's all fine. I don't need to see a hitter adjust his batting gloves 12 times an at bat
@@dungeonmaster6292 you have to admit some players exaggerate with taking their time. Have you seen the pitching ninja video where and entire half inning is played with the pitch clock before a dodgers pitcher throws another pitch? Edit: i just realized this is that very video. I'm dumb
@@dungeonmaster6292 By the 15-20 years of players emphasizing stall tactics to slow the games down to a crawl and create an extremely unwatchable product for the majority of the country than how it was in the past with the faster pace of play? Then yes, it is completely ruining the game.
Cy Young winner Randy Jones normally pitched games that averaged less than 150 minutes. When paired with another quick pitcher, one full game went 1:58 minutes. BTW he was not a strike out pitcher, the ball was constantly in play, the hitters just couldn't hit it very hard. Fun games to watch.
The umpires actually did have the authority to warn him to stop messing around and eject him if he didn't comply. But the pitch clock is a good idea that's long overdue, I think. The umpires rarely enforced the pace of play rules that were on the books.
@@RyanRobbins007, I'm sure somewhere in the baseball rulebook, umpires were given wide discretion to take action against players who were acting with malicious intent and contrary to the tenets of good sportsmanship. A pitcher not throwing a pitch for like 15 minutes and just screwing around and continually tossing the ball to first would rise to that level. I remember seeing umpires warn pitchers. Batters too.
Speaking of umpires, they can go away too hopefully soon. Automated strike zone for the win. Saw a crazy stat that umpires only call the balls and strikes correctly 85% of the time. Insane.
@@RyanRobbins007 there has actually been a “pitch time” rule codifies the major league rule book since 1901. It outlines the amount of time a pitcher can take between pitches
preventing one pitcher from dawdling is worth permanently ruining the sport and the viewing experience? they couldn't have just, i dunno, told Baez to stop?
@@HockeyNationHD ruin the sport? The sport is ruining itself. Game times were never this long in the 60s and 70s. You know, the era when baseball was THE sport? The pitch clock brings the game back to that length of time per game. Baez is an exaggerated example, but this game pace is NOT new
@@botsareeverywhere no, they don't. that's called baseball. it's a leisurely downtime sport. if you don't like it, that's fine. go watch something else.
@@Tevatron044 the pitch clock being no tv destroys the sport. simple as that. it ruins the viewing experience. baseball is not supposed to be a timed, clock on the screen constantly about to hit 0, anxiety-inducing viewing experience. it's supposed to be the opposite.
I'm very excited. As a Braves fan last year I got in hot water countless times telling my wife "it's the 9th inning" only for Kenley to take 40 seconds for each pitch. It seemed supernatural in the sense that if we were needing to be somewhere he would start with an 8 pitch walk followed by an 8 pitch single.
I've watched more spring training games this year than ever and one of the reasons why is because the game goes so smoothly now. It's like more fun to watch at home because there's constant action, not just a lot of waiting around.
I was literally watching the little league World Series a couple seasons ago with a buddy and I was like “I can’t figure out why but I like this more than I like pro ball” and he thought for a minute and he said “it’s because they only take like 8 seconds between pitches” He was totally right
I realize I'm comparing apples and oranges, and by no means is what I'm about to mention ever intended to minimize the purest form of baseball... However, I watched a full game of ball with the Savannah Bananas, and the batter isn't even allowed to step out of the batter's box. I thought how fantastic is that?! It definitely speeds up the game! Some batters don't even take a swing and they have to refasten their gloves, adjust their crotch, take off and put the helmet back on, dig their shoes in, take their 5 swings toward the pitcher ON EVERY PITCH.
@@RobL350I can almost guarantee there will be no more than a very marginal increase. I really don’t think it’s going to bring new people in cause the games 21 minutes shorter
The pitch clock has been one of the best things to happen to baseball, more action and less nonsense. But you still have old heads upset that they can’t watch another grown man touch themselves more or kick dirt around to kill time, idk why you’d want to watch that over baseball
I agree. I was against it at first, as an old school fan, but open-minded. So far, I really like it. Less dead time. Still some wrinkles to work out, but I think it's a good addition.
@@PitchingNinjaVideos wasn't the pitch clock in effect for this video? Hence the pickoff attempts? Looked like he was intentionally killing time for the reliever to warm up.
The whole point of the “pitch clock” is to RESTORE the game to the pace of play it used to be played at. And by “used to” I mean before the mid 1990s, not like the deadball era. If you go back and watch one of the most iconical “epic” at-bats, with the most on the line - the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series - Mookie Wilson had a ten pitch at-bat against Bob Stanley, bases loaded, bottom of the TENTH, runners on the corners, six of them with a two-strike count… Everyone who saw that game remembers it as one of the longest at-bats imaginable, super tense, full of drama. Even before the ultimate E3. Well, there were way fewer than 30 seconds between pitches! His entire at bat lasted about 3 and a half minutes - a total of 264 seconds - and included a Wild Pitch (ball in play behind home) and a conference on the mound! Then by 2021, somehow we were regularly seeing at bats lasting well over a minute to throw the next pitch in the 6th inning of a regular season baseball game!
@@robardinSo don't watch baseball if it bores you so much with dead time. Go hangout with football. It's almost nothing BUT dead time. WAY more dead time than action on those fields. To equate it in my brain your math on the AB you're speaking of is roughly the same amount of time it takes for a football team to line up, waste 39 seconds, call a timeout, and then wait another 40 seconds to lineup again and actually start a play. Which very well could be a spiked ball or taking a knee. Or a run up the middle that the entire play lasts 3 seconds. In which time you've burned at least around 120 seconds. For ONE play to happen.
@@Mind_of_a_Very_Strange_Man I go to like 40 live MLB games a year, a full season ticket holder. I watch plenty of baseball. Which is why I am super excited to see less not-baseball… To be clear, the pace of game rules is not “changing the game” but “restoring” it to the way it used to be played until around the late 1990s. Players started stepping out, staring in longer, etc. and it’s not fun to watch, especially over a 162 game regular season. Here’s an example: I went back and watched one of the examples held up as one of the most tense finishes to a baseball game ever, 1986 World Series game 6. 5-4 Red Sox, two outs, men on the corners, Mookie Wilson bats against Mike Stanley. He gets to a 2-2 count, fouls six balls off, there’s a wild pitch and a conference on the mound in the middle of it, before the famous E3... Everyone who watched that remembers it like the at-bat went on and on. It lasted just over 3-1/2 minutes, like 220 seconds, including the WP and the catcher running out to the mound. For TEN PITCHES with the game one out away (mostly one STRIKE away) from a WS ending. But sure, it's normal and no need to address it when it takes 2 minutes to throw the next pitch to the plate in the 7th inning of a game in August 2019...? NOT. Did I “hate” watching baseball in the past 20 years? Not at all. It's been almost the only pro sport I follow. But do I think I’ll like watching baseball a lot MORE now that the pace of play will be forced to be like it was 30 years ago? HELL TO THE YES.
Not to defend baez, but that was also a tight spot in a championship series versus spring training. Honestly, i'm indifferent. The only rule i dont care for is the limited pick off attempts. The bags are bigger as well. So you know 1 run games in the 8th and 9th are going to be even more difficult for pitchers. I expect alot of blown saves
I agree that a playoff game and a spring training game is an unfair comparison. Even though I favor a pitch clock, the playoffs is about tension and situation and having the pitchers in effect rush through high leverage situations I feel will diminish the quality of these situations
I watch a lot of baseball highlights but not a lot of baseball games. I realize now it’s because waiting that nearly two minutes for that guy to throw the damn ball felt like an eternity
LMAO why do you feel the need to lie, you're still not going to watch the game, and the pitch clock only saves around 20 minutes LOL stop acting like the pitch clock is the greatest thing ever when it does nothing LOL
@C.H.N.J. Why’re you so confrontational? I didn’t say I would start watching games or that the pitch clock is the greatest thing ever. I just said baseballs fucking slow, essentially.
@C.H.N.J. theres 2,430 MLB games each season. That means by the end of one season with the pitch clock, according to your math, 48,600 minutes or 33.75 days will be saved. Doesnt seem like "nothing" at all to me. Or maybe you never learned math and just learned how to type "lol".
The rules about pitchers had always been on the books. They were just never enforced. In researching a book I recently wrote, I listened to the radio broadcasts of all six games of the 1948 World Series. Those games just flew by. No dawdling. Everyone got down to business. it was great entertainment. Somehow this stopped being the norm in baseball.
Probably stopped being the norm when players started getting paid 100 million dollars. Why would anyone be inclined to entertain or push when they're being paid that much without any rules to motivate them? This is why the NFL is leauges above every major sport out there. They have rules in play that specifically manufacture the game pace and style that they know is the most entertaining, the players adapt to those rules and the viewer gets a great product.
When I was a young whippersnapper and could throw a decent heater, I always felt like when I was pitching with pace, it kept me in a groove and gave me the mental edge. Hopefully these big leaguers can feel that way too.
The 70s' O: "Throw strikes, work fast, change speeds" Third best staff I've ever seen after the mid-60s Dodgers and 90s' Braves. Of course having Palmer helped.
I was both a good hitter and a catcher. I loved it when my pitcher got into a grove. As a hitter, when I saw the opposing pitcher working with rhythm, I would step out, take my time and try to break his tempo. That was the game within the game. The new rules work against that, but it is the hitters fault we need the new rules. I look forward to this season. As an Astro's fan, I hope for a another World Series victory.
Same here. Baseball has gotten slower while our collective attention spans have gotten shorter. It's a bad mix and MLB had to do something to counteract it.
You couldn’t be more wrong… a spring training versus a post-season game?! Are you serious? Post-season baseball always moves more slowly than a spring training game…
@@HockeyNationHD In what way will it ruin the sport exactly? Is your favorite part of the game watching the batter twitch around and take half-assed practice swings while the pitcher plays with his hat?
I don’t like rule changes, but the pitch clock is good. I remember back when Mike Hargrove was managing the Indians in the ‘90s, announcers would talk about how he was referred to as the “human rain delay” when he played, because he was a guy who stepped out of the batters box all the time, when this was rare. Since those days, practically everyone became a “human rain delay,” and that was always going to be bad for the game.
With it being the game most similar to baseball, comparisons between cricket and baseball are good to look at…cricket doesn’t have a pitch clock but an over rate, pitch rate, per hour that teams have to adhere to. There are various things that are taken into consideration when calculating it. But the penalties can include: the captain being fined 20% of their match fee or being banned for a game, and the entire team being fined 10% of their match fee. It works.
Love the pitch clock for this reason. Went to a Knights game last year, and was amazed at how much more I liked and stayed interested in the game because of the constant play.
Makes you really notice any play stoppage in any sport. I went to an NBA game and during time outs the arenas try to keep your attention with songs and giveaways. Without those the energy really dies.
NBA needs to cut the time outs. Way too many. 7...on top of that they have "official" time outs. It's ridiculous. 1 per quarter, 2 per 4th would be fine.
The NHL is getting bad about that. You won’t have more than 0.666 seconds of silence once you get to your seats. It’s nonstop hype. It’s almost more relaxing when the puck’s in play because at least the speakers aren’t asking you to do the chicken dance for a moment.
@@american_alien_1583 I mean, you have players running full court for multiple minutes at a time and the coaches need timeouts to figure out an adjustment if the opposing team goes on a run. 7 is great.
This might actually get me out to a few ball games in person this season. I avoid a lot of games, because first pitch is at 7 or 7:30, and the game doesn't end until 10 or 11pm, then I have to drive 45 minutes back home, and still get up for work the next day. If I could go to a game, and be back home by 10 or 11, that would be amazing.
I live in DC and remember watching a Nats-Dodgers game from the Left Coast which had gone into the 14th or 15th (around 2:00AM in DC) and desperately trying to stay awake through Baez' routine. The only thing which kept me awake was the hilarious running commentary from Charlie and Dave the Nats' radio guys.
My chief complaint in the past has been how incredibly long at bats could be. Obviously I love this rule and hopefully it will make more pitchers utilitize the defense
I am already a fan on the pitch clock Stuff was just too out of hand With batters & pitchers stepping off & stepping out & holding the ball Too much I saw a game in just over 2hr last month & that’s perfect 👍
I used to like long games because I drank longer while enjoying the game. Now that I have a demanding job I can't drink as much and prefer a faster game. The faster games also make standing room only seats more appealing.
@@c.h.n.j.5302 what do you mean you people?? Lol I actually love baseball and have since I was a child. You can't tell me I don't love baseball because I think one rule change has been good. Get real bud.
@@c.h.n.j.5302 I don't like baseball (like some other things I don't like), but somehow...I'm fascinated by it. Maybe this will restore/return my interest. I hate anyone/thing that likes to fuck around. The less fucking around, the better. Get to the point, get to the game.
Honestly, the only time I watch a base ball game is when I am sitting in the park. I like the crowd, the antics between innings, the overpriced beer and concessions, the slowness of play which is almost a chess game when you have runners on base. If I wanted a fast game to watch, I'd watch basketball on TV. I'll catch the baseball highlights on ESPN, thank you, if I can't can't sit in the stands.
When nobody is on, there's no need for the game to be that damn slow. Báez had a guy which makes this not really a fair comparison. More often than not, people aren't on base anyways. Pitchers and batters used to have tenacity. They wanted to get in the box and hit. They wanted to punch a hitter out. The clock is artificially injecting that tenacity back in the game. With runners on, I agree that the clock should be tweaked a little but stolen bases are also exciting so it puts more pressure on the pitcher. Might see a lot more quick thinking from both sides
exactly. People keep comparing to basketball and other fast-paced sports, but baseball will never beat those sports in being fast-paced; if you're trying to compete with those sports in their arena, you're just going to lose. It's much better to remain special and have a different kind of appeal.
The rule changes do shorten the game, but I think those changes do mess with the quality of the game. The batter can't be at his best, and the pitcher can't be at his best either. I am surprised that there has not yet been a movement to start a competing professional baseball league that would not use a pitch clock, would not use mound visit limits in duration or number, etc. The shift would still be disallowed unless the team you are playing is at least 10 runs ahead at the time. Blocking-the-plate and take-out-slide rules would still be same as those of MLB. Unless your team is leading by at least 10 runs, you can throw to a base to pick off a runner as often as you would like to. Almost like the NFL involving quarterbacks, each team would be allowed to have one extra emergency catcher who can only play if at least one of the other catchers had to be taken out because he got hurt during the game and there are no other catchers available to use.
to be fair to Báez, as slow as he was anyway, he was pitching in the NLCS with runners on. i don’t remember the exact situation that was in what game but with playoff pressure a slow worker can become agonisingly slow. not excusing it, but it’s not like he was just doing it to do it.
Yeah not exactly apples to apples. And I'd say the most attractive elements of the game (to the general public, not me) are strike outs and homers (and maybe stolen bases if they come back into fashion as promised). This is like the least interesting version of baseball. I hope we're not making a worse product for the benefit of saving 30 minutes? Musgrove's no-hitter was 2:46 for example? Is that too long a game now? What if we don't get a single no-hitter this season?
Very slow pitcher and playoffs vs spring training. Just not the same thing. And I'm not against the clock, just not sure this is the comparison to point out.
Yes, it was a playoff game...but the point is, it didn't have to be. That could have been the first regular season game of the year. There was absolutely nothing preventing it.
If they get rid of the automatic strike 3 to end games if a batter isn’t “ready to hit” then I’d be ok with it. Or even just have it for the first 7 innings then play 8 and 9 like normal.
It's not difficult to get his lazy butt in the batters box. Readjusting batting gloves, scratching his crotch, and staring at the bat for 15 seconds after every pitch is completely pointless.
I'm still not sold on the pitch click. I'm wondering what's going to be everyone's reaction if it costs a team a playoff game. I'm willing to ride it out though and see the impact. I do really hate the runner on 2nd in extra innings though. I don't see how that's really baseball when you put a player in scoring position who hasn't earned their way on in some fashion. I'm on with making the bases bigger but again I'm not convinced on limiting throws to keep runners on. I also don't like eliminating the shift as I don't understand why a defense shouldn't be able to position players wherever the heck they like. If the shift disadvantages pull hitters maybe those players should learn some basic hitting techniques like hitting to the opposite field?
I'm British and have only been into baseball for the last ten years, but I love it. Why speed it up, it is what it is. Not everything has to be whizz bang fast. Over here it's cricket they're constantly trying to speed up, introducing the 20 over game etc. Why is everyone in such a hurry these days, requiring instant gratification. Relax and enjoy the game.
I agree 100%. This is just a sign that baseball is struggling and they're trying to appeal to people who aren't fans. In the process they're going to lose their true fans. Baseball at it's peak was in a time when people weren't in such a rush. They had few other options to entertain themselves. It's probably more like golf where you can enjoy the weather and atmosphere.
@@robertcross5794 It is all about money but you got it wrong. It's not about more commercials but about how much those commercials are worth. Baseball is dying a slow death. Their time has passed them by. It was the form of entertainment back when people didn't rush around so much. Today who has time to watch a baseball game or hang out at the park for a few hours. Especially when they play 162 of them in a year. There's a reason why most major league players come from other countries. It's becoming less and less popular in the US.
To be fair this was two different scenarios. One was the start of an inning with no base runners in a regular season game. The other was clearly an playoff game with a runner in scoring position. The comparison was a joke but was clearly done to exaggerate the point. A more reasonable comparison would have been to take two innings to start a regular season game but then contrast wouldn't have been as dramatic.
@@ScottCleve33 While yes, it still makes a dramatic difference in the overall watch ability of the game. 2-3 seconds more per pitch doesn’t seem like much until you scale it out to all ~290 pitches in the game and realize it stretches out the game with ~13-15min of “play time” of guys just standing there not doing anything.
I don’t understand why so many people are up in arms over these rules changes. As fan of an NL west team, the Giants, it’s been so frustrating watching the padres pitchers dragging the game and the dodgers having a mound visit after each pinch hitter. Most of these rule changes are great in making the game go by faster. The only one that I have issues with is the phantom runner in extra innings. This one, in my most humble opinion, goes against the spirit of the game. One caveat about this new pitch clock rule I hope to see in the future would be to not enforce it during the 9th inning, kind of like how the nfl rules change after the 2 minute warning. I would hate to see games being decided by a ball or out due to the pitch clock
I mean, people were freaking out about seat belts and elevators when they were introduced. There will always be a solid 30% of people that oppose basically any new changes. It's best to just ignore them or make a simple rebuttal stating the facts. The minor leagues saw increased attendance, shorter games, less injuries, and people enjoyed the games more. The same thing will happen in the MLB. The people complaining have one argument, "It will kill the game". That's not an argument. That's a prediction based on their opinion. An opinion that's already been shown to be incorrect. Finally, the game was already dying. Attendance and viewership have been dropping for decades as well as fan satisfaction. The MLB is making these changes because they have to.
How is the phantom runner any different from how other sports have instituted special overtime rules? The NHL reduces the number of players on the ice. American/Canadian football give each team a chance to score from a given field position rather than a kick return, and so on. Besides, whatever your opinion, apparently the actual players are delighted with it.
I'm conflicted on the pitch clock, if anyone wants to get mad about it blame the umpires ad players. There are already rules in such as pitching only last for 12 seconds and none ever enforced it. Regarding players blame Garciaparra and others who started the trend of fixing your gloves etc ever damn time for 15 minutes.
@@Kjf2691 I used to feel that way, but have come around personally to the point where I'm loving the changes. But really these changes are NOT FOR US. The sport is slowly dying... getting young athletes to care about baseball is getting harder and harder.(speaking from experience, as well as observation) Hopefully, some much needed updating to the sport will increase it's future appeal.
I'm not great with change. It'll be interesting to see how the pitch clock affects the game but I think it will actually shorten games as opposed to things like the 3 batter rule which didn't do anything
I remember during the Manny Ramirez and other players from Dom Republic and Latin America era. During each at bat they: 1- looked at the sky 2- made the sign of the cross 3- adjusted the uniform 4- adjusted the batting gloves. 5- got out of the batter's box...oops , start all over again. It was ridiculous! And kids all over these countries adopted those bad habits.
The pitch clock is going to be one of those things that we will wonder why they took so long to implement it. Hands down the best thing they could do for the sport.
1) I dare you to tell me the pitch clock is a bad idea. I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU. 2) According to the rule book, how much time is allowed to elapse before the fans are permitted to storm the field and beat Pedro Báez senseless?
Also- its a terrible idea in its current form. It's reducing the game to batting practice with fielders.. Massive amounts of strategy and nuance are completely gone. This is the version of the game that my wife would enjoy and she doesn't give a flying shit about baseball.
@@C-gt42069 Cry me a river. Baseball was a very fast-paced game until about forty years ago. I hate that a rule had to be implemented to speed the game up, but it had gotten ridiculous. Baseball is a game involving a ball. Not a game involving a pitcher who may or may not actually throw the ball THIS CENTURY.
Yes, it was taking forever to pitch one pitch but... this is an unfair comparison as the Spring Training game was a brand new inning with no one on base and the other was, what appeared to be, a late inning with a runner at second. I agree that it takes way too long nowadays but it's not all on the pitcher.
I think 15 seconds is too fast. As the batter, you see a pitch, take some time to think what was just thrown and what may be thrown next. As a pitcher, what did he swing at? Can I get him like this or that? A pitch clock is fine, but 25 and 30 seconds would be better. Also, are the concession lines going to go faster? The way it goes now with a pitch clock, you’ll miss at least one inning.
Really good stuff. They sure didn't need to twist my arm. I'm actually looking forward to the season more, just because the pitch clock ... though I guess I'd have preferred to see it worked out via peer pressure and booing fans. The guys I like work fast anyway, and it's not a coincidence. The shift was less simple for me. While I always disliked it personally, it seems right, rulebook-wise, that they're your gloves and arms to put where you want. In principle, that is. In real life we'll see better ball without the massive overshift. More small-ball and inside-the-park action, my kind of ball.
I’m mostly with you on the shift. I wish it didn’t have to come down to a rule change to defeat the shift, but here we are. These batters and coaches are just digging in their heels and insistent upon hitting over the shift, rather than hitting the ball the other way. And while their contracts haven’t suffered from that strategy, it sure has killed tv ratings.
Hey, you may be right. Like I say, I wish it didn't take the rule change to get it done. They tested it in the minors last year, but I guess I didn't pay real close attention, I just believed the tv guys when they said it was going great. I usually hate rule changes ... none so much as the accursed DH thing. I hate that my grandkids won't know what a double switch is, or a right-hander needing to get a lefty out to protect his spot in the order. they'll think that managing a ballgame is something any idiot can do. Sigh. Anyway, opening day's around the corner so we'll see. For sure the clock will affect some pitchers (and some hitters) more than others, and I'll bet the ones most affected will be guys I never liked because four-hour games.
For people complaining about pitch clocks, do you complain about them at literally every other level of baseball? I used to umpire, and when we'd umpire, the games would go 6 innings/2 hours, 7 innings/2.5 hours, and 9 innings/3 hours. Whatever came first, the game would end. If we reached 3 hours after 8 innings in a 9 inning game, that's the game. My father used to pitch in Babe Ruth league under a pitch clock in the 80s and 90s. It's been a thing for decades everywhere but the MLB. These players should've been brought up on it throughout their childhood. It's not some new concept.
I was getting anxious waiting for him to throw the pitch already. I like the change as it will increase the pace of the game and avoid these ridiculous delays.
At first I was against the pitch clock as someone who pitched in HS/College. But recently I watched a Banana ball game and they didn't have a pitch clock. However they had a 2hr game time limit and batters could not step out of the box unless it was a foul ball or umpire called time. The pitchers worked very fast almost throwing the next pitch as soon as they got the ball back. I was oddly entertained at how fast paced the ball game was even with some of the gimics that happen mid inning and during innings. After watching that game I feel it is a great change coming to the MLB.
Just in the minor leagues it has been a warm welcome since being implemented. So you can go there to also support a growth of enjoyment without all the gimmicks that come with that leagues play (not saying its a bad thing)
I prefer the Baez 1 pitch. Baseball is not meant to be played as fast as possible, and, in fact, the cat and mouse battle between the pitcher and hitter, and the struggle to hold runners, are totally legitimate aspects of the game that should be preserved. If you want constant motion, go watch hockey. Leave the subtle nuance of baseball alone.
@@johnlee1297 Depends on how far back you're talking about. I'm 38 years old. Within my lifetime, or at least from the time I started watching baseball when I was 8, the length of games hasn't really changed all that significantly. A few minutes. Certainly not a big enough problem to drastically overhaul the game to this extent.
Yeah, a good thing, and a bad thing??? I used to be able to just have the game on in the background while doing random things... now you blink and they are already on the 3 batter in the inning!!! haha
@@emforwardslash_em4570 um, that's the POINT and the whole appeal of baseball, genius. this will win no new fans and ruin it for existing fans. this ends the sport.
@@mikeyisniceha bc the entire appeal of baseball is that there is no clock and no rush. it is low anxiety, peaceful. a day at the park. it is not watched the same way other sports are, at least no in the regular season. in the playoffs and certain key reg season games down the stretch and moments, sure, super high intensity. but mostly, it's a relaxing watch. no clock. now there's a constantly about to expire anxiety inducing clock on the screen all the time. it ends the sport.
I personally prefer the laid back slower pace version. I get that it's annoying that a pitcher is checking runners but that adds a dynamic and suspense. The suspense of is the pitcher going to catch a runner attempting to steal, is he going to check the runner 3 times but the 4th time he fucks up and the ball misses the mark and rolls out to the outfield. All of these things are a possibility. I mean, I understand the pitch clock if you're a partial baseball fan and don't watch as regularly or if you're just now trying to get into it. But at the same time it takes getting to know the game to understand why things were the way they were. It just feels like they're trying to shorten games and increase scores cater to non-die hard fans with short attention spans.
it's more that the vast majority of people dont have 4+ hours to kill watching a game. You can't plan around an MLB game because you have no idea how long it's gonna last. That means viewership drops off quickly and fan attendance tanks. The pitch clock is about speeding that up and making the game a bit more predictable. Minor league games the last year or two were so much more fun to watch because of the pitch clock. Fans got out of there quicker and could get on with their evening.
Exactly!! It’s like they’re dumbing down the sport for casual fans that are oblivious to the nuances the game has to offer. I never thought it would come to this.
I remember that nlcs and the announcers were so loudly irritated at how long Pedro Báez was taking 😂 making so many jokes that the Cubs World Series drought would end before he throws a pitch
I was originally against the shift ban but have changed my opinion. These changes should bring back small ball so it's not just home run or bust. That'll make games a lot more interesting and raise the value of speed and contact. I am really excited to see MLB try to improve the game. 3.5 hour regular season games and 4+ hour playoff games were getting a bit ridiculous. Now they need to take the balls and strikes calls out of the umpire's hands! PLEASE!
@@threedroogs I think the shift ban is stupid but not something thats going to negatively affect the game much. The extra innings rule is a different story, possibly the worst rule I have ever seen a major sport implement.
@@dungeonmaster6292 old man energy. "Any change is bad! The old ways are better!" even though the sport has been dying for years now. You're in the minority with your opinions.
@@CRneu the sport is dying because they cater to TV and keep fiddling with it to accommodate low IQ and low attention span fans who are going to watch something else anyway
not a fair comparison at all. On the right you have a runner on 2nd, and the bull pen is warming up. OF COURSE the pitcher is taking his time and watching the runner.
Finally, the game will move along like it should. The first two weeks should be crazy as heck as everybody tries to get into the groove of a pitch clock. Regular season is always different than spring training.
@@HockeyNationHD the last 10 years of baseball have been the most boring of all-time. The coaches and players have found the loopholes in the rules to benefit themselves personally at the expense of entertaining the fans. These changes (while not perfect) do push the game back in the entertaining direction. We can either allow the players and coaches to change the game as it suits them or we can have rule changes as it suits the fans. Either way, change is occurring.
@@AV57 this suits neither the players nor the fans. and yes, change is occurring, the sport is having the nail put in its coffin by a commissioner who hates it.
@@HockeyNationHD lol so you’re a fan of watching them spit loogies touch their balls and digg in their asses for a minute in a half before every pitch 😂
@@HockeyNationHD do you like the constant shifting? The high three-true-outcome (Ks, walks, HRs) trend? The lack of small ball? The increased rate of injuries to pitchers? The dwindling numbers of innings pitchers can handle? The length of time between pitches? More power to you if you do, but most people think it’s a snooze fest.
I don't mind it, but if a starter goes over 90 pitches I think they should get some extra seconds on the clock if they're managing to go deep in the game. I think the clock should be turned off altogether for the 9th inning. That Boston Braves ending was...lame. Maybe not turned off, but at least increase the time in the 9th inning. There's a big mental side of baseball and it feels like were missing some of it because it's rushed. But its not just an adjustment for players but for fans as well. I definitely enjoy it for the early innings to get the game moving.
Well the pitch clock thing went exactly as I thought it would. People hate it, but then there would be a massive push on all fronts to like it. And peer pressure/advertising from the right sources made it win. The only thing left to do is for it to become standard Then if anyone in the future says they like the old way, you can just pressure them into oblivion. Especially on things like reddit with that live v dislike thing It's how so many things work these days. It's basically a boiler plate way of making (and for people to accept) forced change lol
The difference is the amount of people that seen it implemented in the minors and seen the effects it had on the game, which were overwhelmingly positive. After seeing the data of its effects in the minor leagues, with it being implemented properly, there isn’t much reason against it being implemented.
You're completely missing the point. They won't be able to do all that bullshit in the playoffs either. This will make the playoffs even more exciting to watch.
See I don't think the issue is really about speed, to me it's more about quality. Are these rule changes going to improve the quality of the product. Take time out of the equation (I'm aware time is a tangible aspect of the game and can hinder or help someone's experience) and break down to simply "Is the product on the field better, worse or the same as it was before". Shifts, piitch clocks, minimum batters faced, etc. Is it making the product better?
Yeah I'm glad for the pitch clock. I can't stand when pitchers take forever. He would have been hit with a violation for taking so long but him stepping off and acting like he's throwing to 2nd would just restart the clock. When theres runners on and pitchers want to slow it down they will just do that. Or did they change something with that? I'm not even sure what they could do about that if they didn't add a rule already. I don't like the last where a batter gets a strike for taking a couple extra seconds. Having somebody be struck out with runners on in a tight game and late in the game is stupid. That doesn't help the game. The only thing you could really do to not have that happen is give teams 3 passes they could use to not have the ball or strike called against them or give player 3 "strikes" to where the 3rd time they do it they have to be taken out or something. Other than that I'm not sure what you can do but I don't like the prospect where in the playoffs or world series a guy gets walked or called out late in a game bc they took 2 extra seconds. I know you can say just make sure your ass is ready but they are playing in some tense nerve-racking situations and sometimes you need a second. Idk what they can do but I do love that college games are going fast. Not sure how much of an actual change it will be when the games are on TV though. You know they gotta get their commercials in. I heard they were talking about rule changes in college football bc of how long games are taking. Those and the NFL games are taking longer bc the commercials have gotten way longer. Every commercial break used to be a minute or two. Now they are 5 minutes minimum for every fucking commercial break.
The pitch clock is not going to attract new viewers, however it might lose some long time viewers. Baseball is a relaxed, laid back, slow paced game. You go to spend the day at the ballpark. If I get up for a hot dog now I'll miss 2 innings. This is a classic case of over correction.
Agreed, I've become a fan of the pitch clock. However, with this adaptation - they should be careful not to take away from some of the drama of the game also? Maybe, require the pitch clock for only the first 7 innings, then turn it off from the 8th inning on???
Trying to justify the pitch clock by comparing it to a bad AB is like telling your kids to eat kale because people starve in other countries. A nonsense argument. The pitch clock sucks!
Not sure if I’m a fan. What will this do with pitching endurance. It forces pitchers to work at a fast pace…and wear down sooner? No more complete games? No more individual no hitters? Idk
Oh you must have been enjoying all those complete games pitchers have been pitching lately....wtf are you talkin about? This doesn't even affect how many pitches somebody throws, if you need 30 seconds to gas up, you ain't a major league pitcher...that's just facts now. But nothing changes...
@@RobL350 I also thing the higher tempo in games will result in pitchers staying warmer longer into games. I think people are thinking it will tire them out more but I disagree.
I remember watch the 2006 MLB season when they had Kirk Saarloos and Kenny Rogers pitching. These guys are fast pace and just want the ball back to make the next pitch. For flyball/strikeout pitchers, the pitch clock speeds up the game.
@@Anthony-un4yz Perfect game in just over 2hrs, in 2009 no less. Keeping the game going as the game should have continued to be played before the mid 90’s
For people complaining about the rules changing the game, keep in mind that these rules [should] return the game to a similar flow of how the game used to be played. It used to be a sign of respect of your opponent and your willingness for the next pitch for both pitchers and hitters to play at a quick pace. Then, coaches started micromanaging the game and they started slowly noticing that a pitcher here or a batter there would benefit from stalling the other side. Over time, it just became normal for the pace to gradually slow down. It also gives pitchers the ability to throw harder pitches, since they could just take as much time as they wanted between pitches, which killed batting averages and led to batters relying on pitch-guessing.
@@lukepatten8308 no, that’s not micromanagement. Like I said, there used to be a subconscious pitch-clock in both batters and hitters. It just wasn’t officially enforced by the league. Instead, it was in the minds of the players. Coaches trained players from little league to MLB to disregard that internalized clock in order for individual players to perform better. As time went on, the internalized clock of the players got pushed back further and further. Now, we’re at the point of killing the game altogether, because the coaches and players are not in the business of entertaining-they’re in the business of arbitrary statistical accumulation. MLB is in the entertainment business, though. They now have to step in and put this clock in, otherwise the players and coaches will just continue to make the game as boring as they can if it means getting their next contract extension.
@@lukepatten8308 yeah, I’m not particularly interested in watching pitchers throw max effort every pitch. It leads to too many injuries; takes too long between pitches; leads to too many walks, too many home runs, and too many Ks; and it kills running on the base paths since there’s few reasons to run if the batter is likely to strike out, homer, or walk. I think it’s more impressive for a pitcher to work quickly with a quick-beating heart than to watch him take a nap between each pitch so he can feel 100% before each pitch.
It is when you throw out an idea that never existed. Your whole narrative is false. What era are you talking about? Never mind, it doesn't matter. It simply never existed.
Lol a Spring Training game and a playoff game with a runner in scoring position isn't exactly the best comparison here. I watch for the anticipation, to take everything in I don't care how long a pitch takes. Seeing a clock at a baseball game is just stupid.
The pitch clocks feels unnatural which I think is because it's set too fast. I would also like to remove it after the 7th inning for big impactful moments. It takes a lot of the suspense and build up out of a an at bat.
This is an extreme example. But that's my opinion from a baseball purist. It's supposed to be a chess match thinking man's game. Making the proper adjustments. It's an art. I feel adding a clock rushes the whole game and you get away from those thinking strategic adjustments. Even the little game within a game of throwing a hitters timing off, that's no longer a thing knowing the pitcher has to throw something before the clock hits zero.
You're not a purist unless you want 1860's style baseball, so stop with that nonsense. If you want baseball to be like it used to be, it was fast. Games were less than 2 and a half hours up until the last 20 years. Something needed to change, it was getting ridiculous.
@@maxiamarilla5020 chess is played with a clock, but the clock isnt a timer on every move bro. Terrible analogy. The analogy might work if both sides were given 1 hour to complete their 9 innings...but that would be impossible to work out fairly.
I know my opinion will not be popular, I want the game to speed up but I don't like the pitch clock. I'd prefer my little league days where it was up to the umpire to hurry the pace of play up by simply calling 'play ball' and players would have strikes called not in the box etc.
@Luke patten I had a discussion about this. It would allow pitchers to dabble with base runners and batters, and if anyone the umpire feels is mucking about can hurry them up. A great benefit would be different personalities to shine and bring a color to the game, a pitch clock is rigid and will not recognise small interactions that happen between players. An umpire can recognise good competitive exciting play that is good for baseball amd should be encouraged, a pitch clock cannot. It would put so much pressure on umpires from players and umpires, which would suck, so developing a culture of respect to pace of play would be important.
![TEEDEE TADA - DIAMOND NARAKORN X LEGO LYKN [Special Dance Performance]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QgtZedFeumA/mqdefault.jpg)
The nice part about the pitch clock is it isn't just for the pitcher. It also cuts down on the crazy batting routines that would happen before every pitch.
Yes. The game should be about the pitching and the hitting, not the mind games and meta-manipulation and throwing the other team off their groove. No stalling. No farting around, no stretching things out so the bullpen can warm up. There’s a pitch coming, get in there and hit.
Batters we're about to to be on the brink of having a full on Mass with communion before every pitch
I went to spring training a couple of times before the clock, and even the big name hitters would get in the box and stay there without having to adjust their batting gloves and all protective devices between every pitch and it didn't seem to affect their abilities.
@@dannyschwertner7785 and if we’re lucky it’s a priest who wants to get done with mass early so they can go watch a game.
@@Fishmorph the pitch clock just adds to the mind games. Look at what Scherzer is doing and saying. Really good pitchers with mental will abuse the hell out of this.
Legend says Pedro Baez is about to throw his 2nd pitch soon.
That'll be the day! 😉
Doubt
Lol
I instinctively heard this in the voice of Morgan Freeman
Sadly, I can confirm two days later that he still checking for the steal from first to second...
Im more of a traditional guy and was originally against some of the changes. I have become a massive fan of the pitch clock and think it will make games a lot more enjoyable. So far this spring, has made a big difference
I'm not a traditional guy, in fact I hate it, I'm more of an adapt to the times guy, but I agree, most MLB rule changes have been dumb. This one, I love
Go chargers
Traditional? Go and watch a world series game from the 70s. Pitchers were not waiting a whole for one pitch, this pitch was neede.
No same I definitely am a purist but these changes just make it soooo much better
@@ryukenhondaraiden Exactly. This is the way the game used to be played. I hate that they had to mandate a rule, but the game had gotten to be almost a joke.
I am a long-time, hardcore baseball fan. Played the game, coached the game, love the game. I was really against adding a time element to the "timeless" game. Over the last couple years I've changed my mind. This is a perfect example of why. Thanks for the clip.
Same experience... Played, Coached, Umpired, Broadcasted... Hard disagree!
It still is timeless thankfully. Yeah you have to throw the pitch under a certain time but there still can be an infinite number of pitches.
@@triprolo I'm curious as to why you disagree. Certainly you can't think that waiting for Baez to pitch was exciting to watch. To me, it was painful.
baseball is still timeless in that there is no clock attached to an inning (unlike say 20 mins for hockey or 12 for basketball). Games can be two hours or four hours. So I'm curious as to why you think the pitch clock has fundamentally changed things
@@EndeavoursRadio, First of all, it doesn't matter what I say, you're not prepared to agree with me. But I love the slowness of the game. I love to relax and watch a baseball game. I watch Little League all the way to the Majors. It's meant to be played slow because there is strategy involved in messing up the batter or the pitcher's rhythm. It's called the National Pastime for a reason. In today's society, everyone wants things fast. I don't. I like it slow. I plan my day around a ballpark visit. Again, it doesn't matter what you or I think because Manfred will screw the game up the way he wants to anyway and he's not calling us for our opinion.
@@triprolo For me, the games don't all that rushed. I have watched many games this year, and some of them have even gone past the three hour mark and that's okay with me. Slowness/pace and pace isn't the issue for. It's all the time wasting in between. By the way, that is relatively new phenomenon. Up until the 80s, games were regular 2.5 hours or less. It was only with inflated salaries, steroids and egos, that we saw games inch along.
I enjoy the humour that can arise out of delay of game, whether it be through a challenge, rules check or a crazy inning. THat's all fine. I don't need to see a hitter adjust his batting gloves 12 times an at bat
the announcer saying "kenny would you like to fill some time here?" Epitomizes the issue 😆
If even Joe Buck is getting antsy, you KNOW there’s a problem. XD
This issue being that the game is being ruined
@@dungeonmaster6292 you have to admit some players exaggerate with taking their time. Have you seen the pitching ninja video where and entire half inning is played with the pitch clock before a dodgers pitcher throws another pitch?
Edit: i just realized this is that very video. I'm dumb
@@dungeonmaster6292 the game is being improved. this anti-pitch clock stuff is peak "seat belts are going to kill more people" energy.
@@dungeonmaster6292 By the 15-20 years of players emphasizing stall tactics to slow the games down to a crawl and create an extremely unwatchable product for the majority of the country than how it was in the past with the faster pace of play? Then yes, it is completely ruining the game.
I remember watching Whitey Ford pitch a whole game in an hour & a half way back when. Those games were over quickly & never boring.
Cy Young winner Randy Jones normally pitched games that averaged less than 150 minutes. When paired with another quick pitcher, one full game went 1:58 minutes. BTW he was not a strike out pitcher, the ball was constantly in play, the hitters just couldn't hit it very hard. Fun games to watch.
Greg Maddux was usually quick on the draw as well.
because the players sucked and struck out constantly
@@derpderpin1568 whitey ford played 1947-1957, the average BA over those years .261, from 2012-2022 the average BA is .250
@@mikemoore363 Played for the NYY from 1950 - 1967.
The umpires actually did have the authority to warn him to stop messing around and eject him if he didn't comply. But the pitch clock is a good idea that's long overdue, I think. The umpires rarely enforced the pace of play rules that were on the books.
No they didn't such authority. There was no limit on how long the pitcher could take between pitches when runners were on base.
@@RyanRobbins007, I'm sure somewhere in the baseball rulebook, umpires were given wide discretion to take action against players who were acting with malicious intent and contrary to the tenets of good sportsmanship. A pitcher not throwing a pitch for like 15 minutes and just screwing around and continually tossing the ball to first would rise to that level. I remember seeing umpires warn pitchers. Batters too.
Speaking of umpires, they can go away too hopefully soon. Automated strike zone for the win.
Saw a crazy stat that umpires only call the balls and strikes correctly 85% of the time. Insane.
The clock adds a level of consistency that's simply not possible just with humans interpreting nebulous rules.
@@RyanRobbins007 there has actually been a “pitch time” rule codifies the major league rule book since 1901. It outlines the amount of time a pitcher can take between pitches
Amazing comparison video. I'm so glad pitchers like Baez won't be able to do that anymore. Cannot wait for the season to start!
preventing one pitcher from dawdling is worth permanently ruining the sport and the viewing experience? they couldn't have just, i dunno, told Baez to stop?
@@HockeyNationHDmost of the pitchers and batters in the league do this shit for half the game without the pitch clock, it’s not just Baez
@@HockeyNationHD ruin the sport? The sport is ruining itself. Game times were never this long in the 60s and 70s. You know, the era when baseball was THE sport? The pitch clock brings the game back to that length of time per game. Baez is an exaggerated example, but this game pace is NOT new
@@botsareeverywhere no, they don't. that's called baseball. it's a leisurely downtime sport. if you don't like it, that's fine. go watch something else.
@@Tevatron044 the pitch clock being no tv destroys the sport. simple as that. it ruins the viewing experience. baseball is not supposed to be a timed, clock on the screen constantly about to hit 0, anxiety-inducing viewing experience. it's supposed to be the opposite.
I'm very excited. As a Braves fan last year I got in hot water countless times telling my wife "it's the 9th inning" only for Kenley to take 40 seconds for each pitch. It seemed supernatural in the sense that if we were needing to be somewhere he would start with an 8 pitch walk followed by an 8 pitch single.
Ha-I'm very sympathetic (I live in ATL). I definitely could have done this with a Kenley appearance too.
The real discussion should be why is it normal conversation that our closer routinely gives up 8 pitch walks and 8 pitch hits?
Braves fan as well. First, glad we got a better closer. Second, yup. Pitch clock will certainly work in Quadzilla's favor along with Mac Fried...
@@PitchingNinjaVideos Hey neighbor
@@PitchingNinjaVideos when are we getting a foolish Bailey collab?
I've watched more spring training games this year than ever and one of the reasons why is because the game goes so smoothly now. It's like more fun to watch at home because there's constant action, not just a lot of waiting around.
"the game goes more smoothly now" why do you people feel the need to blatantly lie like this LMAO
Have you ever played baseball?
@Will Patterson I don't think he has.
@@c.h.n.j.5302 “your opinion is wrong” * refuses to elaborate *
I was literally watching the little league World Series a couple seasons ago with a buddy and I was like “I can’t figure out why but I like this more than I like pro ball” and he thought for a minute and he said “it’s because they only take like 8 seconds between pitches”
He was totally right
I realize I'm comparing apples and oranges, and by no means is what I'm about to mention ever intended to minimize the purest form of baseball... However, I watched a full game of ball with the Savannah Bananas, and the batter isn't even allowed to step out of the batter's box. I thought how fantastic is that?! It definitely speeds up the game! Some batters don't even take a swing and they have to refasten their gloves, adjust their crotch, take off and put the helmet back on, dig their shoes in, take their 5 swings toward the pitcher ON EVERY PITCH.
You forgot spit their chew.
Carlton Fisk was the absolute worst for this. Great player but OMG his at bats were endless torture.
In MLB there are rules against stepping out of the box as well, unless granted time. They just quit enforcing it over a decade ago
I just want to see how the season stats are impacted. It's kind of exciting
I'm curious too!
How about TV ratings, bro?
Former Padres 1st Rounder Matt Antonelli said the fast pace of the MLB game had him retire early. How about pirchers in the zone?
I'm particularly curious to see the beer and hotdogs sales stats.
@@RobL350I can almost guarantee there will be no more than a very marginal increase. I really don’t think it’s going to bring new people in cause the games 21 minutes shorter
The pitch clock has been one of the best things to happen to baseball, more action and less nonsense. But you still have old heads upset that they can’t watch another grown man touch themselves more or kick dirt around to kill time, idk why you’d want to watch that over baseball
i’ve watched 1 inning of spring training so far and I love it. I’m an old school fan but the pitch clock is such a blessing
I agree. I was against it at first, as an old school fan, but open-minded. So far, I really like it. Less dead time. Still some wrinkles to work out, but I think it's a good addition.
@@PitchingNinjaVideos wasn't the pitch clock in effect for this video? Hence the pickoff attempts? Looked like he was intentionally killing time for the reliever to warm up.
The whole point of the “pitch clock” is to RESTORE the game to the pace of play it used to be played at. And by “used to” I mean before the mid 1990s, not like the deadball era.
If you go back and watch one of the most iconical “epic” at-bats, with the most on the line - the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series - Mookie Wilson had a ten pitch at-bat against Bob Stanley, bases loaded, bottom of the TENTH, runners on the corners, six of them with a two-strike count…
Everyone who saw that game remembers it as one of the longest at-bats imaginable, super tense, full of drama. Even before the ultimate E3.
Well, there were way fewer than 30 seconds between pitches! His entire at bat lasted about 3 and a half minutes - a total of 264 seconds - and included a Wild Pitch (ball in play behind home) and a conference on the mound!
Then by 2021, somehow we were regularly seeing at bats lasting well over a minute to throw the next pitch in the 6th inning of a regular season baseball game!
@@robardinSo don't watch baseball if it bores you so much with dead time. Go hangout with football. It's almost nothing BUT dead time. WAY more dead time than action on those fields.
To equate it in my brain your math on the AB you're speaking of is roughly the same amount of time it takes for a football team to line up, waste 39 seconds, call a timeout, and then wait another 40 seconds to lineup again and actually start a play. Which very well could be a spiked ball or taking a knee. Or a run up the middle that the entire play lasts 3 seconds. In which time you've burned at least around 120 seconds. For ONE play to happen.
@@Mind_of_a_Very_Strange_Man I go to like 40 live MLB games a year, a full season ticket holder. I watch plenty of baseball. Which is why I am super excited to see less not-baseball…
To be clear, the pace of game rules is not “changing the game” but “restoring” it to the way it used to be played until around the late 1990s. Players started stepping out, staring in longer, etc. and it’s not fun to watch, especially over a 162 game regular season.
Here’s an example: I went back and watched one of the examples held up as one of the most tense finishes to a baseball game ever, 1986 World Series game 6. 5-4 Red Sox, two outs, men on the corners, Mookie Wilson bats against Mike Stanley. He gets to a 2-2 count, fouls six balls off, there’s a wild pitch and a conference on the mound in the middle of it, before the famous E3...
Everyone who watched that remembers it like the at-bat went on and on. It lasted just over 3-1/2 minutes, like 220 seconds, including the WP and the catcher running out to the mound. For TEN PITCHES with the game one out away (mostly one STRIKE away) from a WS ending.
But sure, it's normal and no need to address it when it takes 2 minutes to throw the next pitch to the plate in the 7th inning of a game in August 2019...? NOT.
Did I “hate” watching baseball in the past 20 years? Not at all. It's been almost the only pro sport I follow. But do I think I’ll like watching baseball a lot MORE now that the pace of play will be forced to be like it was 30 years ago? HELL TO THE YES.
Not to defend baez, but that was also a tight spot in a championship series versus spring training.
Honestly, i'm indifferent. The only rule i dont care for is the limited pick off attempts. The bags are bigger as well. So you know 1 run games in the 8th and 9th are going to be even more difficult for pitchers. I expect alot of blown saves
I agree that a playoff game and a spring training game is an unfair comparison. Even though I favor a pitch clock, the playoffs is about tension and situation and having the pitchers in effect rush through high leverage situations I feel will diminish the quality of these situations
nobody on base either for Knack.🤨
I had all those thoughts. What kind of game? What runners are on? Apples and oranges comparison possibly?
Definitely fan of the pitch clock. While I think 15 seconds is a little too short, I think this’ll make baseball a lot more enjoyable.
I watch a lot of baseball highlights but not a lot of baseball games. I realize now it’s because waiting that nearly two minutes for that guy to throw the damn ball felt like an eternity
LMAO why do you feel the need to lie, you're still not going to watch the game, and the pitch clock only saves around 20 minutes LOL stop acting like the pitch clock is the greatest thing ever when it does nothing LOL
@C.H.N.J. Why’re you so confrontational? I didn’t say I would start watching games or that the pitch clock is the greatest thing ever. I just said baseballs fucking slow, essentially.
@C.H.N.J. theres 2,430 MLB games each season. That means by the end of one season with the pitch clock, according to your math, 48,600 minutes or 33.75 days will be saved. Doesnt seem like "nothing" at all to me. Or maybe you never learned math and just learned how to type "lol".
The rules about pitchers had always been on the books. They were just never enforced. In researching a book I recently wrote, I listened to the radio broadcasts of all six games of the 1948 World Series. Those games just flew by. No dawdling. Everyone got down to business. it was great entertainment. Somehow this stopped being the norm in baseball.
Probably stopped being the norm when players started getting paid 100 million dollars. Why would anyone be inclined to entertain or push when they're being paid that much without any rules to motivate them? This is why the NFL is leauges above every major sport out there. They have rules in play that specifically manufacture the game pace and style that they know is the most entertaining, the players adapt to those rules and the viewer gets a great product.
@Sam0 B00 that actually is kinda true. I notice that Caribbean or Japanese players take a lot longer on average compared to American players
When I was a young whippersnapper and could throw a decent heater, I always felt like when I was pitching with pace, it kept me in a groove and gave me the mental edge. Hopefully these big leaguers can feel that way too.
Same here... couldn't wait to get the ball back and fire another one
The 70s' O: "Throw strikes, work fast, change speeds" Third best staff I've ever seen after the mid-60s Dodgers and 90s' Braves. Of course having Palmer helped.
I was both a good hitter and a catcher. I loved it when my pitcher got into a grove. As a hitter, when I saw the opposing pitcher working with rhythm, I would step out, take my time and try to break his tempo. That was the game within the game. The new rules work against that, but it is the hitters fault we need the new rules. I look forward to this season. As an Astro's fan, I hope for a another World Series victory.
This was long overdue players are having a picnic out there. This should have been addressed decades ago
@@treywar25doesn’t surprise me and tv ratings also are up slightly.
That is a perfect comparison. The clock is all good. The Baez stuff is exactly why I have baseball on all the time but rarely sit and watch it.
Same here. Baseball has gotten slower while our collective attention spans have gotten shorter. It's a bad mix and MLB had to do something to counteract it.
You couldn’t be more wrong… a spring training versus a post-season game?! Are you serious? Post-season baseball always moves more slowly than a spring training game…
oh yea the clock is great. sure it completely ruins the sport and the viewing experience. but it's great, really.
@@HockeyNationHD In what way will it ruin the sport exactly? Is your favorite part of the game watching the batter twitch around and take half-assed practice swings while the pitcher plays with his hat?
@@HockeyNationHD well it's been used in the Minors for years... You won't even notice the clock by May. calm down Grandpa 😂😂
I don’t like rule changes, but the pitch clock is good. I remember back when Mike Hargrove was managing the Indians in the ‘90s, announcers would talk about how he was referred to as the “human rain delay” when he played, because he was a guy who stepped out of the batters box all the time, when this was rare. Since those days, practically everyone became a “human rain delay,” and that was always going to be bad for the game.
With it being the game most similar to baseball, comparisons between cricket and baseball are good to look at…cricket doesn’t have a pitch clock but an over rate, pitch rate, per hour that teams have to adhere to. There are various things that are taken into consideration when calculating it. But the penalties can include: the captain being fined 20% of their match fee or being banned for a game, and the entire team being fined 10% of their match fee. It works.
Rules also brought in because of players taking forever between balls.
Love the pitch clock for this reason. Went to a Knights game last year, and was amazed at how much more I liked and stayed interested in the game because of the constant play.
Makes you really notice any play stoppage in any sport. I went to an NBA game and during time outs the arenas try to keep your attention with songs and giveaways. Without those the energy really dies.
NBA needs to cut the time outs. Way too many. 7...on top of that they have "official" time outs. It's ridiculous. 1 per quarter, 2 per 4th would be fine.
The NHL is getting bad about that. You won’t have more than 0.666 seconds of silence once you get to your seats. It’s nonstop hype. It’s almost more relaxing when the puck’s in play because at least the speakers aren’t asking you to do the chicken dance for a moment.
@@american_alien_1583 I mean, you have players running full court for multiple minutes at a time and the coaches need timeouts to figure out an adjustment if the opposing team goes on a run. 7 is great.
no you just have ADHD
@@derpderpin1568 waiting through a 7minute break to see if a foul was real or not is too long.
This might actually get me out to a few ball games in person this season. I avoid a lot of games, because first pitch is at 7 or 7:30, and the game doesn't end until 10 or 11pm, then I have to drive 45 minutes back home, and still get up for work the next day. If I could go to a game, and be back home by 10 or 11, that would be amazing.
I live in DC and remember watching a Nats-Dodgers game from the Left Coast which had gone into the 14th or 15th (around 2:00AM in DC) and desperately trying to stay awake through Baez' routine. The only thing which kept me awake was the hilarious running commentary from Charlie and Dave the Nats' radio guys.
You sure it wasn't the Giants? I was at that game in DC, the longest playoff game in history
Absolutely sure. It was a midseason game against LA. Baez has never pitched for SF.
My chief complaint in the past has been how incredibly long at bats could be. Obviously I love this rule and hopefully it will make more pitchers utilitize the defense
I am already a fan on the pitch clock
Stuff was just too out of hand
With batters & pitchers stepping off & stepping out & holding the ball
Too much
I saw a game in just over 2hr last month & that’s perfect 👍
It’s making me a baseball fan again
Anyway who isn’t for the pitch clock is nuts. Thanks for showing exactly why
Love the pitch clock, not so much any of the other changes (especially the extra inning runner).
I certainly wish that darn extra inning rule would go away.
I used to like long games because I drank longer while enjoying the game. Now that I have a demanding job I can't drink as much and prefer a faster game. The faster games also make standing room only seats more appealing.
Pitch clock is definitely a positive! I'm not huge on change and I'm often skeptical initially but this has been pretty great so far.
It literally hasn't been a positive at all LOL you people just hate baseball because "oh its so slow"
@@c.h.n.j.5302 what do you mean you people?? Lol
I actually love baseball and have since I was a child. You can't tell me I don't love baseball because I think one rule change has been good. Get real bud.
@@c.h.n.j.5302 I don't like baseball (like some other things I don't like), but somehow...I'm fascinated by it. Maybe this will restore/return my interest. I hate anyone/thing that likes to fuck around. The less fucking around, the better. Get to the point, get to the game.
Honestly, the only time I watch a base ball game is when I am sitting in the park. I like the crowd, the antics between innings, the overpriced beer and concessions, the slowness of play which is almost a chess game when you have runners on base. If I wanted a fast game to watch, I'd watch basketball on TV. I'll catch the baseball highlights on ESPN, thank you, if I can't can't sit in the stands.
When nobody is on, there's no need for the game to be that damn slow. Báez had a guy which makes this not really a fair comparison. More often than not, people aren't on base anyways. Pitchers and batters used to have tenacity. They wanted to get in the box and hit. They wanted to punch a hitter out. The clock is artificially injecting that tenacity back in the game.
With runners on, I agree that the clock should be tweaked a little but stolen bases are also exciting so it puts more pressure on the pitcher. Might see a lot more quick thinking from both sides
exactly. People keep comparing to basketball and other fast-paced sports, but baseball will never beat those sports in being fast-paced; if you're trying to compete with those sports in their arena, you're just going to lose.
It's much better to remain special and have a different kind of appeal.
this completely kills the sport forever, yes. destroys what is unique and appealing about baseball.
@@HockeyNationHD no one cares or watches baseball because it’s so slow lmao
I say that whenever someone hits a home run, they should walk around the bases as slow as possible, in protest of the pitch clocks.
Thanks for the video Rob. And this is just one of many examples of ridiculously long pitches
The rule changes do shorten the game, but I think those changes do mess with the quality of the game. The batter can't be at his best, and the pitcher can't be at his best either.
I am surprised that there has not yet been a movement to start a competing professional baseball league that would not use a pitch clock, would not use mound visit limits in duration or number, etc. The shift would still be disallowed unless the team you are playing is at least 10 runs ahead at the time. Blocking-the-plate and take-out-slide rules would still be same as those of MLB. Unless your team is leading by at least 10 runs, you can throw to a base to pick off a runner as often as you would like to. Almost like the NFL involving quarterbacks, each team would be allowed to have one extra emergency catcher who can only play if at least one of the other catchers had to be taken out because he got hurt during the game and there are no other catchers available to use.
That competing league would be something for traditional baseball watchers to go to if they are tired of watching MLB as it is today.
Best thing pro baseball has done in forever.
worst thing baseball has done in forever, straight downgrade to the feeling of the game just so an ADHD culture can save a few minutes.
@@derpderpin1568you don't know the game dude
to be fair to Báez, as slow as he was anyway, he was pitching in the NLCS with runners on. i don’t remember the exact situation that was in what game but with playoff pressure a slow worker can become agonisingly slow. not excusing it, but it’s not like he was just doing it to do it.
Yeah not exactly apples to apples. And I'd say the most attractive elements of the game (to the general public, not me) are strike outs and homers (and maybe stolen bases if they come back into fashion as promised). This is like the least interesting version of baseball. I hope we're not making a worse product for the benefit of saving 30 minutes? Musgrove's no-hitter was 2:46 for example? Is that too long a game now? What if we don't get a single no-hitter this season?
Very slow pitcher and playoffs vs spring training. Just not the same thing. And I'm not against the clock, just not sure this is the comparison to point out.
Yes, it was a playoff game...but the point is, it didn't have to be. That could have been the first regular season game of the year. There was absolutely nothing preventing it.
If they get rid of the automatic strike 3 to end games if a batter isn’t “ready to hit” then I’d be ok with it. Or even just have it for the first 7 innings then play 8 and 9 like normal.
It's not difficult to get his lazy butt in the batters box. Readjusting batting gloves, scratching his crotch, and staring at the bat for 15 seconds after every pitch is completely pointless.
I'm still not sold on the pitch click. I'm wondering what's going to be everyone's reaction if it costs a team a playoff game. I'm willing to ride it out though and see the impact. I do really hate the runner on 2nd in extra innings though. I don't see how that's really baseball when you put a player in scoring position who hasn't earned their way on in some fashion. I'm on with making the bases bigger but again I'm not convinced on limiting throws to keep runners on. I also don't like eliminating the shift as I don't understand why a defense shouldn't be able to position players wherever the heck they like. If the shift disadvantages pull hitters maybe those players should learn some basic hitting techniques like hitting to the opposite field?
I'm British and have only been into baseball for the last ten years, but I love it. Why speed it up, it is what it is. Not everything has to be whizz bang fast. Over here it's cricket they're constantly trying to speed up, introducing the 20 over game etc. Why is everyone in such a hurry these days, requiring instant gratification. Relax and enjoy the game.
I prefer 50 over cricket because it feels like wickets matter more.
I agree 100%. This is just a sign that baseball is struggling and they're trying to appeal to people who aren't fans. In the process they're going to lose their true fans. Baseball at it's peak was in a time when people weren't in such a rush. They had few other options to entertain themselves. It's probably more like golf where you can enjoy the weather and atmosphere.
Why speed it up? The answer is simple. More time for commercials in between innings. It is all about money.
@@robertcross5794 It is all about money but you got it wrong. It's not about more commercials but about how much those commercials are worth. Baseball is dying a slow death. Their time has passed them by. It was the form of entertainment back when people didn't rush around so much. Today who has time to watch a baseball game or hang out at the park for a few hours. Especially when they play 162 of them in a year. There's a reason why most major league players come from other countries. It's becoming less and less popular in the US.
games used to be a lot quicker in the past. This will make the game more traditional.
"Do you want to fill some time?" That statement is why the MLB needed the pitch clock.
This is amazing. It was a 6 pitch inning! And it was completed before a single pitch was thrown! This shouldn't;t be possible.
To be fair this was two different scenarios. One was the start of an inning with no base runners in a regular season game. The other was clearly an playoff game with a runner in scoring position. The comparison was a joke but was clearly done to exaggerate the point. A more reasonable comparison would have been to take two innings to start a regular season game but then contrast wouldn't have been as dramatic.
@@ScottCleve33 While yes, it still makes a dramatic difference in the overall watch ability of the game. 2-3 seconds more per pitch doesn’t seem like much until you scale it out to all ~290 pitches in the game and realize it stretches out the game with ~13-15min of “play time” of guys just standing there not doing anything.
I don’t understand why so many people are up in arms over these rules changes. As fan of an NL west team, the Giants, it’s been so frustrating watching the padres pitchers dragging the game and the dodgers having a mound visit after each pinch hitter. Most of these rule changes are great in making the game go by faster. The only one that I have issues with is the phantom runner in extra innings. This one, in my most humble opinion, goes against the spirit of the game.
One caveat about this new pitch clock rule I hope to see in the future would be to not enforce it during the 9th inning, kind of like how the nfl rules change after the 2 minute warning. I would hate to see games being decided by a ball or out due to the pitch clock
I mean, people were freaking out about seat belts and elevators when they were introduced. There will always be a solid 30% of people that oppose basically any new changes. It's best to just ignore them or make a simple rebuttal stating the facts.
The minor leagues saw increased attendance, shorter games, less injuries, and people enjoyed the games more. The same thing will happen in the MLB. The people complaining have one argument, "It will kill the game". That's not an argument. That's a prediction based on their opinion. An opinion that's already been shown to be incorrect. Finally, the game was already dying. Attendance and viewership have been dropping for decades as well as fan satisfaction. The MLB is making these changes because they have to.
How is the phantom runner any different from how other sports have instituted special overtime rules? The NHL reduces the number of players on the ice. American/Canadian football give each team a chance to score from a given field position rather than a kick return, and so on. Besides, whatever your opinion, apparently the actual players are delighted with it.
I'm conflicted on the pitch clock, if anyone wants to get mad about it blame the umpires ad players. There are already rules in such as pitching only last for 12 seconds and none ever enforced it. Regarding players blame Garciaparra and others who started the trend of fixing your gloves etc ever damn time for 15 minutes.
None of that "blaming" does anything to fix the issue and make the game more watchable... this does.
@@uneek23 Sure. Persoanlly, I was fine with everything before the rule changes but I'm In the minority I know.
@@Kjf2691 I used to feel that way, but have come around personally to the point where I'm loving the changes. But really these changes are NOT FOR US. The sport is slowly dying... getting young athletes to care about baseball is getting harder and harder.(speaking from experience, as well as observation) Hopefully, some much needed updating to the sport will increase it's future appeal.
@@uneek23 Truth right there.
I'm not great with change. It'll be interesting to see how the pitch clock affects the game but I think it will actually shorten games as opposed to things like the 3 batter rule which didn't do anything
I remember during the Manny Ramirez and other players from Dom Republic and Latin America era. During each at bat they: 1- looked at the sky 2- made the sign of the cross 3- adjusted the uniform 4- adjusted the batting gloves. 5- got out of the batter's box...oops , start all over again. It was ridiculous! And kids all over these countries adopted those bad habits.
😅😅
Like a retarded person to display religious 🙄
Its similar to waiting on the tee box too long because the group in front take too long to finish the hole.
The pitch clock is going to be one of those things that we will wonder why they took so long to implement it. Hands down the best thing they could do for the sport.
1) I dare you to tell me the pitch clock is a bad idea. I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU.
2) According to the rule book, how much time is allowed to elapse before the fans are permitted to storm the field and beat Pedro Báez senseless?
Nobody has ever enforced that rule once.. Ever.
Also- its a terrible idea in its current form. It's reducing the game to batting practice with fielders.. Massive amounts of strategy and nuance are completely gone. This is the version of the game that my wife would enjoy and she doesn't give a flying shit about baseball.
@@C-gt42069 Cry me a river. Baseball was a very fast-paced game until about forty years ago. I hate that a rule had to be implemented to speed the game up, but it had gotten ridiculous.
Baseball is a game involving a ball. Not a game involving a pitcher who may or may not actually throw the ball THIS CENTURY.
@@C-gt42069 I'm sorry I was so snippy earlier. I didn't mean to bite your head off.
@@lukepatten8308 Sad to hear you feel that way, but I believe you will come around.
Pick the longest at bat pre-pitch clock, and then shortest inning post-pitch clock. Great comparison.
Exactly! This pitch clock needs to go. Way to many injuries are happening already this season
15s seems a bit fast but if they get everyone in line during spring I think maybe they could settle on 20s. I hate slow players.
Yes, it was taking forever to pitch one pitch but... this is an unfair comparison as the Spring Training game was a brand new inning with no one on base and the other was, what appeared to be, a late inning with a runner at second. I agree that it takes way too long nowadays but it's not all on the pitcher.
Those differences are not consequential enough to account for all the time wasting.
Baez is going to have a lot of timed out walks this season lol.
Good. If he can't adjust he shouldn't be in the MLB.
@@SamBrickell Is he still in the MLB? Astros had him in 2022 but released him
@@theman1412 Nope, the dodgers kicked him from their minor system last year. From 12.5m/yr to being out of the league in 1 year.
I think 15 seconds is too fast. As the batter, you see a pitch, take some time to think what was just thrown and what may be thrown next. As a pitcher, what did he swing at? Can I get him like this or that? A pitch clock is fine, but 25 and 30 seconds would be better.
Also, are the concession lines going to go faster? The way it goes now with a pitch clock, you’ll miss at least one inning.
Really good stuff. They sure didn't need to twist my arm. I'm actually looking forward to the season more, just because the pitch clock ... though I guess I'd have preferred to see it worked out via peer pressure and booing fans. The guys I like work fast anyway, and it's not a coincidence. The shift was less simple for me. While I always disliked it personally, it seems right, rulebook-wise, that they're your gloves and arms to put where you want. In principle, that is. In real life we'll see better ball without the massive overshift. More small-ball and inside-the-park action, my kind of ball.
I’m mostly with you on the shift. I wish it didn’t have to come down to a rule change to defeat the shift, but here we are. These batters and coaches are just digging in their heels and insistent upon hitting over the shift, rather than hitting the ball the other way. And while their contracts haven’t suffered from that strategy, it sure has killed tv ratings.
Ooooor you'll see the pitcher completely neutered in his ability to control the game. It's bad for baseball
@@dungeonmaster6292 how long should it take a professional pitcher and catcher to decide what pitch to throw?
Hey, you may be right. Like I say, I wish it didn't take the rule change to get it done. They tested it in the minors last year, but I guess I didn't pay real close attention, I just believed the tv guys when they said it was going great. I usually hate rule changes ... none so much as the accursed DH thing. I hate that my grandkids won't know what a double switch is, or a right-hander needing to get a lefty out to protect his spot in the order. they'll think that managing a ballgame is something any idiot can do. Sigh. Anyway, opening day's around the corner so we'll see. For sure the clock will affect some pitchers (and some hitters) more than others, and I'll bet the ones most affected will be guys I never liked because four-hour games.
@@AV57 it's not basketball or football. If the pitcher wants to keep the pace slow then he has that right. TV and modern fans be damned
For people complaining about pitch clocks, do you complain about them at literally every other level of baseball? I used to umpire, and when we'd umpire, the games would go 6 innings/2 hours, 7 innings/2.5 hours, and 9 innings/3 hours. Whatever came first, the game would end. If we reached 3 hours after 8 innings in a 9 inning game, that's the game. My father used to pitch in Babe Ruth league under a pitch clock in the 80s and 90s. It's been a thing for decades everywhere but the MLB. These players should've been brought up on it throughout their childhood. It's not some new concept.
I was getting anxious waiting for him to throw the pitch already. I like the change as it will increase the pace of the game and avoid these ridiculous delays.
This is just crazy that it happened like themat before and awesome to see the game get a little faster. I hate how long games take.
At first I was against the pitch clock as someone who pitched in HS/College. But recently I watched a Banana ball game and they didn't have a pitch clock. However they had a 2hr game time limit and batters could not step out of the box unless it was a foul ball or umpire called time. The pitchers worked very fast almost throwing the next pitch as soon as they got the ball back. I was oddly entertained at how fast paced the ball game was even with some of the gimics that happen mid inning and during innings. After watching that game I feel it is a great change coming to the MLB.
Just in the minor leagues it has been a warm welcome since being implemented. So you can go there to also support a growth of enjoyment without all the gimmicks that come with that leagues play (not saying its a bad thing)
@@TheRayzerBandit Do minor league games get televised anywhere? lmk if so
I prefer the Baez 1 pitch. Baseball is not meant to be played as fast as possible, and, in fact, the cat and mouse battle between the pitcher and hitter, and the struggle to hold runners, are totally legitimate aspects of the game that should be preserved. If you want constant motion, go watch hockey. Leave the subtle nuance of baseball alone.
It used to be played at a much faster pace than it has been in recent times.
@@johnlee1297 Depends on how far back you're talking about. I'm 38 years old. Within my lifetime, or at least from the time I started watching baseball when I was 8, the length of games hasn't really changed all that significantly. A few minutes. Certainly not a big enough problem to drastically overhaul the game to this extent.
This is absolutely insane!!! I love what they’re doing with the clock. You won’t be able to take your eyes off the game
Yeah, a good thing, and a bad thing??? I used to be able to just have the game on in the background while doing random things... now you blink and they are already on the 3 batter in the inning!!! haha
@@emforwardslash_em4570 um, that's the POINT and the whole appeal of baseball, genius. this will win no new fans and ruin it for existing fans. this ends the sport.
lmfao i bet the ratings will say otherwise. this will end baseball.
@@HockeyNationHD how is that ruining it?
@@mikeyisniceha bc the entire appeal of baseball is that there is no clock and no rush. it is low anxiety, peaceful. a day at the park. it is not watched the same way other sports are, at least no in the regular season. in the playoffs and certain key reg season games down the stretch and moments, sure, super high intensity. but mostly, it's a relaxing watch. no clock. now there's a constantly about to expire anxiety inducing clock on the screen all the time. it ends the sport.
Interested in how the score keepers will track a clock walk or clock SO?
I would like to thank Baez for the pitch clock. Thank you sir!
I personally prefer the laid back slower pace version. I get that it's annoying that a pitcher is checking runners but that adds a dynamic and suspense. The suspense of is the pitcher going to catch a runner attempting to steal, is he going to check the runner 3 times but the 4th time he fucks up and the ball misses the mark and rolls out to the outfield. All of these things are a possibility. I mean, I understand the pitch clock if you're a partial baseball fan and don't watch as regularly or if you're just now trying to get into it. But at the same time it takes getting to know the game to understand why things were the way they were. It just feels like they're trying to shorten games and increase scores cater to non-die hard fans with short attention spans.
it's more that the vast majority of people dont have 4+ hours to kill watching a game. You can't plan around an MLB game because you have no idea how long it's gonna last. That means viewership drops off quickly and fan attendance tanks. The pitch clock is about speeding that up and making the game a bit more predictable. Minor league games the last year or two were so much more fun to watch because of the pitch clock. Fans got out of there quicker and could get on with their evening.
Exactly!! It’s like they’re dumbing down the sport for casual fans that are oblivious to the nuances the game has to offer. I never thought it would come to this.
I said they should do this like 20 years ago. Glad they finally implemented it.
Do what you have to do, to pick up the pace. Yes, as others have mentioned, it works on so many other levels (not just pitching).
I remember that nlcs and the announcers were so loudly irritated at how long Pedro Báez was taking 😂 making so many jokes that the Cubs World Series drought would end before he throws a pitch
The pitch clock is the only rule change I appreciate. I think it is necessary.
The pitch clock is a great idea and will improve the game. The other recent changes not so much. But they nailed it with the pitch clock.
I was originally against the shift ban but have changed my opinion. These changes should bring back small ball so it's not just home run or bust. That'll make games a lot more interesting and raise the value of speed and contact. I am really excited to see MLB try to improve the game. 3.5 hour regular season games and 4+ hour playoff games were getting a bit ridiculous.
Now they need to take the balls and strikes calls out of the umpire's hands! PLEASE!
Ruining the game
@@threedroogs I think the shift ban is stupid but not something thats going to negatively affect the game much. The extra innings rule is a different story, possibly the worst rule I have ever seen a major sport implement.
@@dungeonmaster6292 old man energy. "Any change is bad! The old ways are better!" even though the sport has been dying for years now. You're in the minority with your opinions.
@@CRneu the sport is dying because they cater to TV and keep fiddling with it to accommodate low IQ and low attention span fans who are going to watch something else anyway
not a fair comparison at all. On the right you have a runner on 2nd, and the bull pen is warming up. OF COURSE the pitcher is taking his time and watching the runner.
No i hate it
Finally, the game will move along like it should. The first two weeks should be crazy as heck as everybody tries to get into the groove of a pitch clock. Regular season is always different than spring training.
the game will now officially completely die. it's over w this.
@@HockeyNationHD the last 10 years of baseball have been the most boring of all-time. The coaches and players have found the loopholes in the rules to benefit themselves personally at the expense of entertaining the fans. These changes (while not perfect) do push the game back in the entertaining direction. We can either allow the players and coaches to change the game as it suits them or we can have rule changes as it suits the fans. Either way, change is occurring.
@@AV57 this suits neither the players nor the fans. and yes, change is occurring, the sport is having the nail put in its coffin by a commissioner who hates it.
@@HockeyNationHD lol so you’re a fan of watching them spit loogies touch their balls and digg in their asses for a minute in a half before every pitch 😂
@@HockeyNationHD do you like the constant shifting? The high three-true-outcome (Ks, walks, HRs) trend? The lack of small ball? The increased rate of injuries to pitchers? The dwindling numbers of innings pitchers can handle? The length of time between pitches? More power to you if you do, but most people think it’s a snooze fest.
What is the point of a clock? If you don't want to stay, you can leave anytime.
This might get me back into baseball! Loving the extra inning ghost runner already.
I don't mind it, but if a starter goes over 90 pitches I think they should get some extra seconds on the clock if they're managing to go deep in the game. I think the clock should be turned off altogether for the 9th inning. That Boston Braves ending was...lame. Maybe not turned off, but at least increase the time in the 9th inning. There's a big mental side of baseball and it feels like were missing some of it because it's rushed. But its not just an adjustment for players but for fans as well. I definitely enjoy it for the early innings to get the game moving.
Well the pitch clock thing went exactly as I thought it would.
People hate it, but then there would be a massive push on all fronts to like it.
And peer pressure/advertising from the right sources made it win.
The only thing left to do is for it to become standard
Then if anyone in the future says they like the old way, you can just pressure them into oblivion.
Especially on things like reddit with that live v dislike thing
It's how so many things work these days. It's basically a boiler plate way of making (and for people to accept) forced change lol
The difference is the amount of people that seen it implemented in the minors and seen the effects it had on the game, which were overwhelmingly positive. After seeing the data of its effects in the minor leagues, with it being implemented properly, there isn’t much reason against it being implemented.
Social conditioning is definitely a thing but rule changes for a sport arent social conditioning man its a f*cking game...
i mean - one is a spring training game and the other is a post season game. They dont compare at all in importance.
You're completely missing the point. They won't be able to do all that bullshit in the playoffs either. This will make the playoffs even more exciting to watch.
See I don't think the issue is really about speed, to me it's more about quality. Are these rule changes going to improve the quality of the product. Take time out of the equation (I'm aware time is a tangible aspect of the game and can hinder or help someone's experience) and break down to simply "Is the product on the field better, worse or the same as it was before". Shifts, piitch clocks, minimum batters faced, etc. Is it making the product better?
Good question! One of my arguments.
We got a classic case of having to change rules because some people have to take advantage of the lack of a rule, sucks for them lol
Yeah I'm glad for the pitch clock. I can't stand when pitchers take forever. He would have been hit with a violation for taking so long but him stepping off and acting like he's throwing to 2nd would just restart the clock. When theres runners on and pitchers want to slow it down they will just do that. Or did they change something with that? I'm not even sure what they could do about that if they didn't add a rule already. I don't like the last where a batter gets a strike for taking a couple extra seconds. Having somebody be struck out with runners on in a tight game and late in the game is stupid. That doesn't help the game. The only thing you could really do to not have that happen is give teams 3 passes they could use to not have the ball or strike called against them or give player 3 "strikes" to where the 3rd time they do it they have to be taken out or something. Other than that I'm not sure what you can do but I don't like the prospect where in the playoffs or world series a guy gets walked or called out late in a game bc they took 2 extra seconds. I know you can say just make sure your ass is ready but they are playing in some tense nerve-racking situations and sometimes you need a second. Idk what they can do but I do love that college games are going fast. Not sure how much of an actual change it will be when the games are on TV though. You know they gotta get their commercials in. I heard they were talking about rule changes in college football bc of how long games are taking. Those and the NFL games are taking longer bc the commercials have gotten way longer. Every commercial break used to be a minute or two. Now they are 5 minutes minimum for every fucking commercial break.
For pitchers like this is why the rule was made. Just tremendous. 👍 👍
It applies to hitters too.
@@wurm90125 you are right but this guy Baez made us wanna pull our hair out. 😂
The pitch clock is not going to attract new viewers, however it might lose some long time viewers. Baseball is a relaxed, laid back, slow paced game. You go to spend the day at the ballpark. If I get up for a hot dog now I'll miss 2 innings. This is a classic case of over correction.
Pitch clock was a great change for MLB I watched 3 games already in this spring training and wow I feel the game very fluent :).
Agreed, I've become a fan of the pitch clock. However, with this adaptation - they should be careful not to take away from some of the drama of the game also? Maybe, require the pitch clock for only the first 7 innings, then turn it off from the 8th inning on???
Why? So that the 8th and 9th innings can take as long as the first 7 did? It defeats the purpose of the pitch clock.
Trying to justify the pitch clock by comparing it to a bad AB is like telling your kids to eat kale because people starve in other countries.
A nonsense argument. The pitch clock sucks!
Not sure if I’m a fan. What will this do with pitching endurance. It forces pitchers to work at a fast pace…and wear down sooner? No more complete games? No more individual no hitters? Idk
Oh you must have been enjoying all those complete games pitchers have been pitching lately....wtf are you talkin about? This doesn't even affect how many pitches somebody throws, if you need 30 seconds to gas up, you ain't a major league pitcher...that's just facts now. But nothing changes...
@@JamesEvans2023 A lot changes
@@RobL350 I was probably hasty there and see your point, I agree there will be changes but I see them as positive for the game I want to watch.
@@RobL350 I also thing the higher tempo in games will result in pitchers staying warmer longer into games. I think people are thinking it will tire them out more but I disagree.
All the old timers got it done at this speed.
This almost makes me want to watch a baseball game again.
but you won't.
thanks for proving our point LOL the only people that like this are those who never watched baseball AND STILL WONT WATCH IT LMAOOOOO
Do another one of these comparing three innings with Clay Buchholz.
When I’m at a game live, I want Baez. When watching on TV, I want the clock. Can I have both 🤩
I remember watch the 2006 MLB season when they had Kirk Saarloos and Kenny Rogers pitching. These guys are fast pace and just want the ball back to make the next pitch. For flyball/strikeout pitchers, the pitch clock speeds up the game.
Mark Buehrle
@@Anthony-un4yz Perfect game in just over 2hrs, in 2009 no less. Keeping the game going as the game should have continued to be played before the mid 90’s
For people complaining about the rules changing the game, keep in mind that these rules [should] return the game to a similar flow of how the game used to be played. It used to be a sign of respect of your opponent and your willingness for the next pitch for both pitchers and hitters to play at a quick pace. Then, coaches started micromanaging the game and they started slowly noticing that a pitcher here or a batter there would benefit from stalling the other side. Over time, it just became normal for the pace to gradually slow down. It also gives pitchers the ability to throw harder pitches, since they could just take as much time as they wanted between pitches, which killed batting averages and led to batters relying on pitch-guessing.
Simply not true.
@@cubsblue1971 great argument.
@@lukepatten8308 no, that’s not micromanagement. Like I said, there used to be a subconscious pitch-clock in both batters and hitters. It just wasn’t officially enforced by the league. Instead, it was in the minds of the players. Coaches trained players from little league to MLB to disregard that internalized clock in order for individual players to perform better. As time went on, the internalized clock of the players got pushed back further and further. Now, we’re at the point of killing the game altogether, because the coaches and players are not in the business of entertaining-they’re in the business of arbitrary statistical accumulation. MLB is in the entertainment business, though. They now have to step in and put this clock in, otherwise the players and coaches will just continue to make the game as boring as they can if it means getting their next contract extension.
@@lukepatten8308 yeah, I’m not particularly interested in watching pitchers throw max effort every pitch. It leads to too many injuries; takes too long between pitches; leads to too many walks, too many home runs, and too many Ks; and it kills running on the base paths since there’s few reasons to run if the batter is likely to strike out, homer, or walk. I think it’s more impressive for a pitcher to work quickly with a quick-beating heart than to watch him take a nap between each pitch so he can feel 100% before each pitch.
It is when you throw out an idea that never existed. Your whole narrative is false. What era are you talking about? Never mind, it doesn't matter. It simply never existed.
Lol a Spring Training game and a playoff game with a runner in scoring position isn't exactly the best comparison here. I watch for the anticipation, to take everything in I don't care how long a pitch takes. Seeing a clock at a baseball game is just stupid.
The pitch clocks feels unnatural which I think is because it's set too fast. I would also like to remove it after the 7th inning for big impactful moments. It takes a lot of the suspense and build up out of a an at bat.
LOVE!!! The pitch clock!!! Should have had it years ago!!!
This is an extreme example. But that's my opinion from a baseball purist. It's supposed to be a chess match thinking man's game. Making the proper adjustments. It's an art. I feel adding a clock rushes the whole game and you get away from those thinking strategic adjustments. Even the little game within a game of throwing a hitters timing off, that's no longer a thing knowing the pitcher has to throw something before the clock hits zero.
So as a baseball purist you believe pitchers should be able to slash the ball with a razor?
You're not a purist unless you want 1860's style baseball, so stop with that nonsense. If you want baseball to be like it used to be, it was fast. Games were less than 2 and a half hours up until the last 20 years. Something needed to change, it was getting ridiculous.
@@tartaruga7814 dont forget the color line either, purists love the color line
@@maxiamarilla5020 chess is played with a clock, but the clock isnt a timer on every move bro. Terrible analogy. The analogy might work if both sides were given 1 hour to complete their 9 innings...but that would be impossible to work out fairly.
I know my opinion will not be popular,
I want the game to speed up but I don't like the pitch clock.
I'd prefer my little league days where it was up to the umpire to hurry the pace of play up by simply calling 'play ball' and players would have strikes called not in the box etc.
@Luke patten I had a discussion about this.
It would allow pitchers to dabble with base runners and batters, and if anyone the umpire feels is mucking about can hurry them up.
A great benefit would be different personalities to shine and bring a color to the game, a pitch clock is rigid and will not recognise small interactions that happen between players.
An umpire can recognise good competitive exciting play that is good for baseball amd should be encouraged, a pitch clock cannot.
It would put so much pressure on umpires from players and umpires, which would suck, so developing a culture of respect to pace of play would be important.
Jose Altuve got 7 inside the park homers before Pedro could throw 1 pitch
Yes, I am now a fan of a 1 minute and 50 second limit between pitches.