MLB is looking to improve the pace of play for the 2023 season.
They no longer want to have 4+ hour-long games, so they decided to implement a pitch clock.
So far in Spring Training, the pitch clock is working just as the MLB hoped.
The games are much quicker, and some of the between-pitch delays are gone.
While some pitchers look to take the clock down as far as possible, others are trying to use it as an advantage.
Yankees pitcher Wandy Peralta had quite possibly the fastest strikeout in MLB history.
holy crap quickest strikeout in baseball history 😮 pic.twitter.com/qozT78jnmW
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 2, 2023
With the batter having to get in the box so soon, Peralta was able to quick pitch him.
That gave him a massive advantage as you can see the batter could not even put the bat on the ball.
We can see how much faster the game will be sped up because of this, and how it looks different from last year.
Kenley Jansen throwing a pitch vs. Wandy Peralta's 3 Pitch Strikeout. pic.twitter.com/CFXJAMc9wY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 2, 2023
While some fans seem to be happy with the new pitch clock, not everyone thinks it is better for the game.
Imagine this in playoff baseball, looks so little league
— 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙚 🎒 (@nate_richens) March 2, 2023
The pitch clock was not the only change made to the MLB this season.
They also implemented a pickoff rule, where a pitcher can only throw over three times.
Limiting the amount of pickoff attempts will most definitely help speed the game up.
The one hope is that all these rules to speed up the game do not cause players to get injured.
Not a medical expert but this seems like a disaster waiting to happen in the form of elbow and arm injuries..
— .. (@dar3alwills) March 2, 2023
The 2023 season will be one unlike any other, and hopefully, the quicker games will have more people watching baseball.
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