the pitch clock is counting down to the MLB 2023 REGULAR SEASON THREAD

I was thinking that the pitch clock probably means not nearly as many shake-offs, right?

ya, has to. which might leave a lot of pitchers better off possibly?!

pretty good padres-braves game

It was, I caught the end of it.

Watching Cubs-Rangers on Apple TV & Dontrelle Willis is commentating. Said that Stroman, who’s kept out the Rangers for five innings so far, is one of only five (!) black starting pitchers in the league. Talked about the need to nurture talent in the cities because as an American game it should be accessible to all children, but pointedly said the expense of the game is a problem.

So much more interesting to listen to than the Tigers commentary with Kirk Gibson yesterday, no colour in his commentary at all 😴

I don't know exactly where baseball falls on the cost continuum of kid sports. More expensive than basketball, much less expensive than golf. Equipment, I mean--playing/league costs are another matter. Playing kid-hockey in a league in Canada is extremely expensive.

For whatever reason, the crowd noise is coming through really clearly from Wrigley Field. Cos Apple TV broadcast doesn’t cut away from the field between innings, the Cubs scoring off a dropped catch from Rangers outfield Garcia meant we heard someone scream GARCIA YOU SUCK, GARCIA YOU’RE A FUCKIN’ JOKE and now when the Rangers bring a reliever, Cole Regans on, screaming COOOOOOOOLE in this style:

https://i.postimg.cc/13xY9cXj/68-F6-F357-D34-B-42-E0-A7-A8-824399-AC33-A8.gif

the really slow roger roger chants at Fenway when Clemens was a Yankee are some of my fondest baseball memories.

Welcome home, Cutch. pic.twitter.com/cHI3c2Ikg5

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 7, 2023

Came here to post that. Very cool.

Another glovely play from Teoscar Hernández -- this one a 9-3 double play with an 86.0 mph throw that nabs José Ramírez to end the 5th inning. pic.twitter.com/BbbtWq9jRZ

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 7, 2023

I am definitely not accustomed to his glove getting much praise. Love the guy, but part of the reason he got dealt was the jays wanted to focus more on defence

Yeah I saw that but he’s been solid out there for the Mariners! Started hitting and scoring as well.

Derby Sweetcoat is a beast

This fucking sucks tbh

Carlos Correa scratched a couple of hours after being named in the lineup (he didn’t play yesterday either)

Carlos Correa is out of today’s #MNTwins lineup again with back tightness, Rocco says. He also sat yesterday.

Very short bench today with Gallo’s availability still questionable, Correa down and Buxton not playing the field yet.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) April 10, 2023

was at the Brewer game on Easter. first time seeing a game with a pitch clock, took one inning to go from "probably a good idea but might cause other problems" to "this might actually save baseball". the game has much more of a rhythm to it now. knowing roughly when the next pitch is coming really does change the experience. only downside is they have to shorten all the in-game musical cues, it's a bit awkward

The Mariners are down a SP and a reliever atm, I would be interested to see if pitchers are getting injured during the adjustment period more or if they are just really unlucky.

The broadcast rhythms have totally changed too. You used to get a few nice long replays of home runs or diving stops, now you get one angle and any subsequent looks happen on a split screen with the next pitch! Also some pretty hilarious moments as announcers try to rush their ad reads through in 15 seconds. It's harum scarum out there.

But I agree w you frogbs, pretty much my sentiments exactly.

I feel like the pitchers might could use like *two* more seconds in there

while i think the clock is overall good for the game it would be disingenuous to say it's simply better and that's that. the fundamental deep rhythms of the game have been changed. the pitcher was in his own little world, the batter in his. and then for every pitch those two little worlds locked into each other. possibly grudgingly. the stretched out pace meant you didn't have to pay attention all that closely. you could go for a beer, get up for a pee, get heavily involved in a conversation about a strike em out throw em out double play you witnessed at fulton county stadium in 1985. maybe most importantly it was the players themselves who dictated this pace. they were like kings. we all waited on them. the batter wasn't ready til he was ready. if the pitcher needed awhile with the rosin bag or to warm up his hands, he was going to do it. they were the conductors of our entire experience. now they aren't. they must obey something else. a dumb set of digits that counts down. they're subject to bureaucracy just like the rest of us. you might think i'm overdoing this but i think it really changes the texture of what you're experiencing and makes these guys a little more human. that's not good or bad. but they're not quite the gods they once were.

that’s wonderfully stated…even more a shame that the players couldn’t keep that god status in check to prevent the pitch clock from happening in the first place. would love to a see a comparison of the new rhythm of a 2023 game compared to the rhythm of a game in 1970, and if they are similar.

agreed, booming post.

i fed my team a stick. i tried carrots earlier, they won't listen

while i think the clock is overall good for the game it would be disingenuous to say it's simply better and that's that. the fundamental deep rhythms of the game have been changed. the pitcher was in his own little world, the batter in his. and then for every pitch those two little worlds locked into each other. possibly grudgingly. the stretched out pace meant you didn't have to pay attention all that closely. you could go for a beer, get up for a pee, get heavily involved in a conversation about a strike em out throw em out double play you witnessed at fulton county stadium in 1985. maybe most importantly it was the players themselves who dictated this pace. they were like kings. we all waited on them. the batter wasn't ready til he was ready. if the pitcher needed awhile with the rosin bag or to warm up his hands, he was going to do it. they were the conductors of our entire experience. now they aren't. they must obey something else. a dumb set of digits that counts down. they're subject to bureaucracy just like the rest of us. you might think i'm overdoing this but i think it really changes the texture of what you're experiencing and makes these guys a little more human. that's not good or bad. but they're not quite the gods they once were.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, April 12, 2023 2:45 AM (ten hours ago)

i feel you dawg but it's 2023

Has there been a published analysis on how The Rays have exploited the new rules? Seems ripe for a deep dive.

What have they been doing? Haven't followed them other than the fact that they haven't lost.

my best friend who has kids and is home all day all night and loves having the cardinals game on as background noise that he can pop into for 5 or 10 mins when there's guys in scoring position is bemoaning the pitch clock. i, who lives in new york city and has a robust social schedule, really enjoy that i can put a game on TV and know that it's only going to take a 2 hour & 20 min chunk out of my day. i can actually watch a full baseball game and then do something else. kind've a crazy concept. or i can sit down for 20 mins and see a full inning or two and not like... three batters. i gotta say i'm really fucking w/ it

yeah its great. i feel tracers post but a change was necessary.

i think my only gripe is that i just don't need to be seeing the pitch timer on TV. i don't care. it should be an invisible hand keeping the game moving & that's it

The other day we were watching a Mariners game and the Seattle crowd were very loudly chanting down the seconds on the timer. The next day they didn’t do it, clearly something had been said about it also distracting their players.

tbh after seeing how much time it cuts out of the game I'm a little surprised the teams went along with it. they're gonna sell a lot less beer and hot dogs now.

i saw that teams are now just extending the times by which they stop selling beer... i think the article i saw said that a lot of teams are moving the cut off to the 8th inning. but also, the concourse traversing beer, popcorn, hot dog and/or cotton candy seller has prob never had more value than he does now? one of baseball's great unique traditions! i don't think all unintended consequences are bad

Lol drama at the end of the first Guardians-Yankees inning, a catch that wasn’t and Boone just got tossed. The challenge took forever but that inning shouldn’t have ended! The ball dropped!

game seven of the 1971 world series took 2:10. granted it was a 2-1 game, but mostly it was players just not fucking around. (it's on youtube.) like there's a ground out and brooks robinson was in the box before the pirates catcher even returned from backing up first.

all this extra time just built up, maybe because coaching staffs insisted on micromanaging/giving signs for everything, maybe because nomar's ocd required him to readjust his entire being after each pitch. but it just isn't necessary. the kings brought this on themselves, and while I absolutely hate to give manfred credit for anything good, the clock rules

Inning is revived, runners on 1st & 3rd, Boone is still on the field! Lmao

xp game 5 of 2010 was a speedy 2.5 hours 😎

Has there been a published analysis on how The Rays have exploited the new rules? Seems ripe for a deep dive.

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 12:54 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

The Rays are exploiting the schedule by beating the tar out of the teams you're supposed to beat the tar out of

I mean look I too lament the loss of some of baseball's more unique features, like pitchers being forced to hit and games that would randomly go 7 hours until the 5th outfielder had to take the mound to serve up batting practice. but I think with all these changes you gotta ask "if it was always this way, would people ever argue for the opposite?" like how crazy would you have to be to be like "I know the pitchers never have to hit and would absolutely suck at it but we should force them to anyway"

the world is a different place now. people have tighter schedules and phones to fill every moment of downtime. watching guys undo and redo their gloves after every pitch just doesn't have the same appeal it used to I guess.

Carlos Correa has sat for four days in a row now and has been supposed to see action for each of them.

Rocco Baldelli suspects that Carlos Correa will be in the lineup at Yankee Stadium tomorrow. He's going to go through an intense day in the batting cage as a final test. Worked out yesterday, too. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) April 12, 2023

I do wonder how Vin Scully would have adjusted. I have listened to every Giants game, so far this year, and Kruk and Kuip have been having to rush at times.

I agree that it seems rushed at times but something needed to be done. I also agree that maybe the current time should be extended a bit. MLB will work it out I hope.

i saw that teams are now just extending the times by which they stop selling beer... i think the article i saw said that a lot of teams are moving the cut off to the 8th inning. but also, the concourse traversing beer, popcorn, hot dog and/or cotton candy seller has prob never had more value than he does now? one of baseball's great unique traditions! i don't think all unintended consequences are bad

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, April 12, 2023 1:30 PM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I am actually a little concerned about this, the number of people who are going to be driving directly after slamming a $15 20oz bud light is probably going to increase

Lol drama at the end of the first Guardians-Yankees inning, a catch that wasn’t and Boone just got tossed. The challenge took forever but that inning shouldn’t have ended! The ball dropped!

― limb tins & cum (gyac), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 1:33 PM (seven hours ago)

the yankees won (and to be fair, the ball did drop), but the challenge was pretty outrageous

xp game 5 of 2010 was a speedy 2.5 hours 😎

― limb tins & cum (gyac), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 10:36 AM

You never forget your first. You can probably search this board for real time reactions.

The Rays' Pythagorean record is only 12-1; obviously very lucky thus far.

you’re saying they haven’t been lucky to play 4 straight last place teams to start the season?

Just kidding around, obviously. Light schedule or not, no one expected this. '82 Braves won 89, '87 Breewers won 91; expect they'll finish better than those two teams.

whether a team is good or not, there is going to be a ton of luck involved with winning 12 straight games!

OK, this was just pushed live. We set up a page where you can track the impact of the new MLB rules changes on things like game time, action, batting averages, base stealing, pitch clock violations, etc.https://t.co/SPtxnQpdLG

— Sean Forman (@sean_forman) April 12, 2023