Pitch Clock

A pitch clock (also known as a pitch timer) is used in various baseball leagues to limit the amount of time a pitcher takes before throwing the ball to the hitter and/or limit the amount of time the hitter uses before he is set to hit.

Various baseball leagues and tournaments around the world use a pitch clock to speed up the pace of play. Major League Baseball (MLB) began using a pitch clock in the following a period of tests on MLB partner leagues, minor league baseball, and college baseball.

History

In college baseball, the Southeastern Conference experimented with using pitch clocks in 2010. Pitchers were given twenty seconds to throw the pitch, or a ball would be added to the count. Similarly, a batter stepping out of the batter's box with less than five seconds on the clock was assessed an additional strike. After the 2010 season, the National Collegiate Athletic Association sought to make the pitch clock mandatory, and instituted it for the 2011 college baseball season, but only when there are no runners on base.

The first professional league to use pitch clocks was the Arizona Fall League, starting in 2014. On January 15, 2015, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it would institute a 20-second pitch clock in Minor League Baseball for Double-A and Triple-A teams during the 2015 season. Pitchers were allowed twenty seconds to throw a pitch, with the penalty of a ball awarded to the batter if not followed. Along with other rules affecting the pace of play, the clock contributed to a 12-minute reduction in game times between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, compared to the leagues that did not use the clock, which saw game times change from an increase of three minutes per game to a decrease in five minutes per game. Game times increased in 2016 and 2017, but were still faster than games in 2014. The independent Atlantic League began using a 12-second pitch clock.

Major League Baseball

The season saw the implementation of a predecessor to the modern-day pitch clock. When no runners were on base, a one-ball penalty would be imposed if the pitcher did not deliver a pitch within 20 seconds of the batter taking his stance at the plate. The rules were tightened before the start of the season, and the 20-second timer now started once the pitcher received the ball. However, these 20-second limits were hardly ever enforced, and were left to the umpire's judgement.

MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) discussed the possibility of introducing the pitch clock in the major leagues for the 2018 season. MLB opted against imposing it unilaterally, over the opposition of the MLBPA. MLB implemented a 20-second pitch clock in spring training games in 2019. The collective bargaining agreement reached to end the 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout included the possibility of introducing a pitch clock for the 2023 MLB season. Four active players plus six persons appointed by MLB and one umpire formed a Joint Competition Committee to review and recommend any changes to playing rules.

On September 8, 2022, MLB announced that rules changes for 2023 included the use of a pitch clock. Pitchers would have 15 seconds between pitches when there are no baserunners and 20 seconds if there is at least one baserunner. Also, the batter will have seven to twelve seconds to be in the stance ready to hit, or an automatic strike will be called. The clock starts when the pitcher gets the ball and the catcher and batter are ready.

In addition to its primary use to time pitches, the clock indicates the time remaining in a television timeout for commercials (usually between each half of an inning), and also to time the warmup period on the mound for a relief pitcher coming out of the bullpen. There are multiple copies of the pitch clock displayed throughout a major league stadium to allow its full visibility for players, coaches, umpires, press, and spectators throughout the venue. This also allows for display within television broadcast graphics, as determined by broadcasters.

Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs became the first pitcher to violate the pitch clock during the regular season, during the third inning of the 2023 opening day game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Baltimore Orioles' Austin Hays was the first batter to receive a strike call due to a time infraction, while Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox was the first to be called for a strikeout.

The first 400 Major League Baseball games during the were, on average, about 30 minutes shorter than the first 400 of the previous season. In addition, the standard deviation of game times was down significantly. The game length had not been this consistent since the . MLB postseason games in the first year of the pitch clock were 21 minutes shorter on average than postseason games in the previous year, with more runs and stolen bases.

In December 2023 the MLB competition committee approved a rule change to reduce the pitch clock from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base, beginning in the .

In the 2023 inaugural season for the rule there were 1,048 violations: 747 by pitchers, 286 by hitters, and 15 by catchers. In the 2024 season there were significantly fewer: 602 total; 465 by pitchers, 133 by batters and four by catchers. The Houston Astros led MLB teams with 35 pitch clock violations and the Washington Nationals' Kyle Finnegan led individuals with 11.

Other leagues

The Japan Amateur Baseball Association (part of the Baseball Federation of Japan) which organizes most Japanese adult baseball outside Nippon Professional Baseball and its minor league teams, decided to adopt the pitch clock after MLB's success in 2023 Spring Training.

KBO League introduced the pitch clock system in the 2025 season.

Pitch clock and injuries

Data regarding the effect of the pitch clock on injuries is limited. But a 2024 study concluded that the rate of injuries decreased significantly after the MLB pitch clock was introduced in 2023. The authors noted that the 2023 season saw a statistically significant decrease in total injuries, undisclosed injuries and torso injuries, but that there was no statistically significant difference in the number of elbow injuries suffered by pitchers compared to the 2021 or 2022 seasons.Puga, T., Scigliano, N., Box, M., & Riehl, J. T. (2024). The Major League Baseball pitch clock: First year analysis of pitcher injuries. Journal of Orthopaedics, 57, 133–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jse.2024.05.042

See also

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References

External links

Pace of Play , Glossary
— MLB.com
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{{Baseball
Baseball terminology
Baseball rules
Time measurement systems
Timers