MLB will be using a series of new rules in the 2023 season and beyond.
The most controversial one, without a doubt, has been the pitch clock.
Pitchers have seen how the umpire adds a ball to the count in the early going of spring training.
Hitters, however, have also gotten strikes for not being ready for the next pitch at the eight-second mark.
A spring training game actually ended that way.
We have also seen double violations of the rule: both the hitter and the pitcher took more than their allotted time and the count started 1-1.
Fans were wondering what would happen in the event of a double violation if the count was 3-2.
MLB insider Jesse Rogers has been following the pitch clock topic for months, and he is more informed than anyone else on the matter.
He provided an answer to that hypothetical scenario.
As they iron things out, that scenario should/will be eliminated. Dual violations won't be a thing. It'll go on the pitcher OR the hitter. Play dead. Start over. https://t.co/v9XSoBgvMX
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 28, 2023
There you have it.
First, it’s clear that the pitch clock is still a work in progress in MLB: everybody is adjusting to it, even umpires.
Second, Rogers clarifies that there won’t be double violations, implying that the first player to make a violation will be flagged and punished with a strike or ball as the umpire sees fit.
The pitch clock, when it comes to average game time, has been a success in the early going.
Games used to take more than three hours in 2022, but with the new measure, they are closer to the two-and-a-half hour mark.
The league finds that extremely attractive: it was their goal from the beginning.
As players adjust, it will probably be a success.
NEXT: MLB Analysts Discuss The Diamondbacks' 2023 Outlook
