MLB Wants to Implement Pitch Clock Next Season

Major League Baseball has been trying out a pitch clock on an experimental basis this season in the minor leagues. Anecdotal stories and reviews have been mixed. But for the most part, we know they cut a half hour out of the average length of a baseball game and that players don’t like them.

Well ready or not, here they come. According to Jon Heyman (MLB Network), the league has deemed the pitch clock trial a resounding success and hopes to have them implemented into MLB games next season.

The pitch clock is a big success on an experimental basis in the minors. Games w/o pitch timers r averaging 2:59, games w/pitch timers 2:35, MLB is reporting now at the owners meetings. There’s been only 0.6 violations per game. MLB hopes to implement clocks in majors next year.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 14, 2022

We knew the pitch clocks would work, if implemented. The clear problem with the length of major league baseball games is the time spent between pitches. Pitchers fixing their hats and walking around the mound. Batters stepping in and out of the box and tightening their batting gloves after every pitch.

The game isn’t played like that at other levels. Go watch a high school, town ball or college game. Nobody has the ego to take a minute in-between pitches. Even at the minor league level, the game plays faster than it does at the majors. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the pitch clock save closer to 40 minutes on the average big league game.

MLB players will cry, but just like the minor league guys, they’ll adjust. This is nobody’s fault but their own.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan