Baseball: Pitch clock a welcome addition in minor leagues

Step in, step out.

Adjust helmet. Adjust gloves. Adjust uniform.

Spit.

Repeat.

Yes, a simple plate appearance at a baseball game can be painfully slow. If you're at a college baseball game the process includes walk-up music, usually hip-hop and classic rock or an occasional country tune if the batter is from Texas.

Games have gotten so long that minor league baseball will add a pitch clock in an effort to speed up play beginning this year. It's a move that could eventually lead to the rule being adopted in the Major Leagues.

Putting a clock on America's pastime will likely anger baseball purists, who don't want anyone messing with their game. But baseball needed to do something, especially if it hopes to recapture a generation turning increasingly to sports that are more fast-paced.

In the 1970s, the average for a nine-inning baseball game in the major leagues was two hours and 300 minutes. Between 2000-2009, that average rose to 2:57 minutes for an average nine-inning game and it's even longer for playoff games, which routinely last over three hours.

So, adding a 20-second pitch clock for professional baseball is a good step and one I'm confident fans will barely notice. Northwest Arkansas Manager Vance Wilson said he's OK with a pitch clock after it was used in the Arizona Fall League, where he coached.

"It's not that big of a deal," Wilson said while speaking before the Springdale Rotary Club last week. "I just think if they keep the batter in the box, the pitcher on the mound... it kept the pace quicker in the fall league."

The Southeastern Conference reduced the time between innings and added a 20-second pitch clock beginning with the 2011 baseball season. Changes to speed up the pace have been well-received, especially during tournaments and Sunday games, when a curfew can be applied to allow visiting teams to time to catch a flight home.

"A change in the bat is the biggest reason for shorter games in our league, but the addition of a pitch clock is certainly a contributor," said Herb Vincent, Associate Commissioner for Communications with the SEC. "It's been very well received from the players, coaches, and fans I've talked to and it's done nothing to take away from the strategy of the game. The games are quicker, so it's been good."

Major League Baseball will pay for the instillation of pitch clocks, but minor league teams will cover the cost of a clock operator during games. Umpires can call a ball against a pitcher or a strike against the batter for violating the 20-second rule.

"I got used to it, the pitcher got used to it, and it's something we all adjusted to," Cincinnati Reds' prospect Jesse Walker told Baseball America magazine after playing in the Arizona Fall League. "I'm back in the box before 20 seconds anyway, so it's not going to change my routine."

Baseball isn't the only sport was a pace of play problem. The last few minutes of a basketball game can be agonizing with timeouts, fouls, and trips to the free-throw line. Football has its own issues with replays and delays for commercials and promos that can last over five minutes between plays.

But baseball, the most resistant to change, is not the same as it was in 1888 when the mythical Mudville Nine took the field.

The mighty Casey will soon be at bat again and a digital clock will be ticking.

Rick Fires can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWARick

Sports on 01/25/2015

Upcoming Events