21 replies to this topic

[Nigel Tufnel]

Essentially, yes.

I don't like the idea of a clock being used in baseball. It's quite simple, There should be no time limit to the game.The time between pitches could be easily addressed by the teams themselves.

Defenders hate playing behind slow workers. It wears defenses out. Teams should have been teaching their guys to work quicker anyway.

I'm convinced that the pitch clock will be in MLB soon. Manfred is all about speeding up the game. I'll be fine if/when it happens. I dislike the three batter rule for relief pitchers in MLB and the mound disengagement rule that is being implemented in the minors this year much more than the pitch clock. These rules impact in game strategy too much IMO.

 

I guess two things to think about:

• It's not all on the pitchers.  They're partially responsible, but have you noticed the hitters?  They step out of the box and adjust their gloves after every pitch.  Every single player is a Mike Hargrove.  The pitch clock is as much (or more) for them than for the pitchers.  We're discussing this in the Austin Wynns thread because he took too long to get back in the box between pitches.

• I know we like to rhapsodize about how baseball is a leisurely game with no clock, but as Bill James has pointed out, for the first 75 years of its existence, baseball DID have clock.  It was called the sun.

[russsnyder]

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I guess two things to think about:

• It's not all on the pitchers. They're partially responsible, but have you noticed the hitters? They step out of the box and adjust their gloves after every pitch. Every single player is a Mike Hargrove. The pitch clock is as much (or more) for them than for the pitchers. We're discussing this in the Austin Wynns thread because he took too long to get back in the box between pitches.

• I know we like to rhapsodize about how baseball is a leisurely game with no clock, but as Bill James has pointed out, for the first 75 years of its existence, baseball DID have clock. It was called the sun.

My initial response addressed keeping hitters in the box during ABs. I think requiring the hitter to have one foot in the box during Abs will help and I like the one time out rule per AB. To that end, a pitch clock would address the pace of play of both players. ( As I said, it's coming.)

I never stated that it's a leisurely game. Players need to hustle on and off the field between innings and umpires have the right not grant time to hitters during ABs. I fundamentally do not like baseball as a timed sport. I have played games in fast pitch softball tournaments where you have time limits and I did not care for it.

All due respect to Bill James, but those days were gone when night baseball came in. Unlike soccer or football there never has been a clock. The games are going to take longer because all games are televised and I personally don't have an issue with the length of games. However, I can see where a pitch clock will contribute to speeding up the pace of play and it's difficult be dead set against the concept.