(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
2023 will go down in baseball history as the first year in which MLB used the pitch clock to accelerate the pace of play.
Pitchers had 20 seconds between pitches with men on base, and 15 seconds with the bases empty.
This way, a lot of the unnecessary, long pauses were going to be trimmed down and games would be faster and more entertaining.
The decision was rather unpopular at first, but people warmed up to it when they saw that the average length of a game was considerably diminished.
Now that season one of the pitch clock era has ended, fans have a significant sample size to make their own judgments and have their own opinion about the measure.
What are your thoughts on the pitch clock after one full season? pic.twitter.com/WZpHM3nrBA
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 10, 2023
As stated, most of them loved it because it made games shorter.
not as bad as i thought it was gonna be
— scott (@SLEEPYSANT0S) November 10, 2023
Arguably one of the greatest additions to the game in decades
— Dom (@BronxBmbrz) November 10, 2023
Absolutely awesome. Saved the game!
— Ed Blust (@edblust) November 10, 2023
When it comes to game experience, the vast majority of fans think of the pitch clock as a positive addition.
There were those who didn’t like it because “baseball was never supposed to have clocks.”
Baseball was never intended to have clocks…..
And it has distracted the umpires’ focus on the strike zone, resulting in a record number of missed ball/strike calls…….
Also, end the ban on the shift, end the limit on pickoff moves, end the “runner at 2nd” in extra innings.
— Todd Krieger (@ToddKrieger1) November 10, 2023
However, fans are also pointing out the fact that the accelerated play might be leading to more injuries around the league.
Should be called the Tommy John clock
— Juan (@TheTexasJuan) November 10, 2023
It might be one of the causes of the insane number of UCL tears this season
— Pharmac1zt (@Pharmac1zt) November 10, 2023
By being forced to work faster, pitchers put more stress on their arms and this might be leading to more ligament injuries.
It has been a much-discussed side effect of the clock.
From a purely baseball-related standpoint, however, most opinions about the implementation of the pitch clock have been positive.
The league gets criticism for virtually every thing they do or don’t do, but they got a rare win with this one.
The post MLB Fans Chime In With Thoughts On The Pitch Clock appeared first on The Cold Wire.