Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) are focusing on reducing the lengthy game time to catch spectators. This kind of effort seems to have some effect from the beginning of the season.
MLB’s hot potato this year is the ‘pitch clock’. A unique scene is also being created with the pitch clock, which was introduced from this season to reduce the time of baseball games.
The pitch clock introduced by MLB is a rule that allows pitchers to pitch within 15 seconds if there is no runner, and within 20 seconds if there is a runner.
In order for the pitcher to pitch on time, the batter must get to the plate early. The batter must stand at bat when more than eight seconds are left on the clock. If there is no runner, it takes 7 seconds, and if there is a runner, it takes 12 seconds to prepare for hitting.
If the pitcher violates the pitch clock rule, the ball count is increased by one. Conversely, if the batter violates this, one strike is charged.
The pitcher may reset the clock by throwing a check ball. To prevent pitchers from overusing it, containment pitches are limited to two throws per runner. A containment ball that exceeds the permitted limit may not tag out a runner. Rather, it is decided as a balk and the runner advances.
There were also several exotic scenes with Pitch Clock.
The pitch clock was applied from this year’s demonstration game. In an exhibition game on the 3rd of last month (Korean time), Wandy Peralta of the New York Yankees struck out Tucupita Marcano of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 18 seconds.
Even in the opening game of the regular season, a pitch clock violation came out right away.
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman became the first pitcher to violate the pitch clock by not starting a pitching motion for 20 seconds in the opening game against the Milwaukee Brewers on the 31st of last month (Korean time).
In the opening game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on this day, the batter’s first pitch clock violation and automatic strikeout also occurred.
Baltimore’s Austin Hays didn’t come to bat until the timer ticked 8 seconds and got an automatic strike. In addition, Boston’s Rafael Devers struck out after not entering the plate within the time limit on 1 ball and 2 strikes.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, who serves both as a pitcher and hitter, became the first pitcher to violate the pitch clock in a game against the Seattle Mariners on the 6th (Korean time). The pitcher received one ball and the batter received one strike each.
The new regulations also led to pain. Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres was ejected during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 5th (Korean time) for protesting a pitch clock violation.
The introduction of the pitch clock is a self-rescue measure prepared in response to the constant criticism that baseball has a long game time and lacks sports competitiveness. In fact, with the introduction of the pitch clock, the average MLB exhibition game time this year was reduced by 26 minutes compared to last year.
Korea, which has received the same criticism, is also working hard to shorten the time of professional baseball games.
The KBO League has strengthened game speed-up rules since this season.
The time for the manager and coach to visit the mound is reduced by 5 seconds to 25 seconds. After 30 seconds, the catcher was ready to catch the ball and made the game go faster.
It was decided to encourage the application of the speed-up rule and induce smooth progress by adding a speed-up evaluation to the referee evaluation.
The KBO strengthened the speed-up regulation this year and set the regular season average time target to 3 hours and 5 minutes, 6 minutes shorter than last year.
In addition, the ’12 second rule’ will be implemented more strictly in the Futures (2nd team) league this year. Since 2010, the KBO League has been operating the so-called 12-second rule, which states that a pitcher must pitch within 12 seconds when there is no runner.
Under the current speed-up regulation, if the pitching regulation is violated within 12 seconds, the first is warned, and from the second, a fine of 200,000 won is imposed and the ball is judged.
However, in this season’s Futures League, it was decided to immediately judge it as a ball without warning. The idea is that KBO will test this amendment in the Futures League and then consider applying it to the KBO League in the 2024 season.
In the KBO League,먹튀검증 there were cases where the trend of shortening game time expanded friction with players. In 2021, Samsung Lions Mike Montgomery threw a rosin bag at the referee in protest against the 12-second rule violation, resulting in a 20-game suspension and a 3 million won fine from the KBO. The controversy ended when Montgomery issued an apology.
First of all, there is an atmosphere that the baseball world is encouraging the attempt to accept fan demands and criticism and prepare supplementary measures. Whether the changed system can settle down and form a new baseball culture is also worth paying attention to this season.