The case for a pitch clock in MLB

[macbdog]

One way I think fans are looking at this the wrong way is MLB isn't looking to 'speed the game up'- They are looking to return it to it's traditional average game time, the way it was for almost a century until steroids, HR obsession, ESPN, bat flips, analytics, pitching changes, and over smiling drove the average game times up. I don't recall, but average games take, what, 40 minutes longer now? It has to be addressed.

And all kidding aside, as a new father, I can't even imagine trying to get either my 9 year old stepson to sit through a 3 hr game ( and he likes baseball!), let alone the baby. Hell, we had 1 ball game planned this past summer and the goal was 2 hours total. As an avid fan of both the Cavs and Tribe, I must say, if I have to watch teams that aren't going to the playoffs, I'm picking a Cavs game and yes, time off game matters.

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

Exactly. With electronic strike zone they can make it a square, circle, octagon or a fucking trapezoid for all I care. As long as it's consistently the same, I don't think anyone would complain about the shape of the zone.

Agree. It would be determined through discussions among baseball people and they would settle on the configuration that makes the most sense. And it would be consistent however they decide to define it. It would be interesting to see how it would apply to batters that stand more bent over v. the ones that stand up straight. And would the strike zone have depth or would it be a 2 dimensional plane at the start of the plate?

 

[CATS44]

The solution to returning games back to the original...a 2.5 hour or less game...is simple and obvious, and it has nothing to do with strike zones or home runs.


Even with a 20 second clock on pitchers, a game would consist of what...an average of five seconds of action between pitches, consisting mostly of a game of catch between battery mates?

80% of the game would still be the pitcher holding the ball.

Pitchers wouldn't be as good if their time with the ball was cut nearly in half. Less time fiddling around with the resin bag and his grip. Less time to decide exactly what would be the best pitch to throw in any situation. Less time to stall while a reliever to get ready.

And a lot easier for a batter to stay in rhythm.

Studies have been done about how time spent with the ball in the pitchers hand correlates to the pitchers average velocity. For every second a pitcher holds on to the ball...up to twenty seconds...his velocity goes up an average of .2 MPH. Each tick downward increases ERA.

Another study, comparing two games 30 yrs apart, the same score, the same number of pitching changes, the same number of inaction pitches...balls and called strikes, not counting ball fours, WPs, PBs, and stolen bases....the latter game lasted almost 33 minutes longer.

Now, pitchers don't want a clock, and neither do batters. But the simple way to shorten the game AND increase scoring is to implement a 20 second clock.

There are clocks in football and clocks in basketball. There is even a clock in chess.

A clock in baseball will compress more scoring into a half hour shorter game.

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

The solution to returning games back to the original...a 2.5 hour or less game...is simple and obvious, and it has nothing to do with strike zones or home runs.


Even with a 20 second clock on pitchers, a game would consist of what...an average of five seconds of action between pitches, consisting mostly of a game of catch between battery mates?

80% of the game would still be the pitcher holding the ball.

Pitchers wouldn't be as good if their time with the ball was cut nearly in half. Less time fiddling around with the resin bag and his grip. Less time to decide exactly what would be the best pitch to throw in any situation. Less time to stall while a reliever to get ready.

And a lot easier for a batter to stay in rhythm.

Studies have been done about how time spent with the ball in the pitchers hand correlates to the pitchers average velocity. For every second a pitcher holds on to the ball...up to twenty seconds...his velocity goes up an average of .2 MPH. Each tick downward increases ERA.

Another study, comparing two games 30 yrs apart, the same score, the same number of pitching changes, the same number of inaction pitches...balls and called strikes, not counting ball fours, WPs, PBs, and stolen bases....the latter game lasted almost 33 minutes longer.

Now, pitchers don't want a clock, and neither do batters. But the simple way to shorten the game AND increase scoring is to implement a 20 second clock.

There are clocks in football and clocks in basketball. There is even a clock in chess.

A clock in baseball will compress more scoring into a half hour shorter game.

This should be implemented all through the minor leagues immediately so even if you get some major league push back, soon enough almost every major league player would have done it which should make the change easier.