Pitch clock among new rules proposed by MLB...

I thought they already had an unofficial 12-second pitch clock (starting when the batter steps in) that has literally never been enforced, not one time. If the pitcher exceeds that alotted time, a ball is automatically awarded to the batter.

I don't remember if there is an analogous rule for the batter, such that he can step out but only for X seconds. It's fine if a hitter needs to reset and get back in his stance, but some of these guys have a whole routine. David Wright (remember him? heh) would always step out, adjust his gloves, adjust his helmet, take a practice swing, and then step back in. Between every single pitch. Nutso.

Not a bad idea, but won’t that be more taxing on the pitcher’s arm? Less time to rest between pitches?

No stepping out and adjusting gloves and all that crap after a taken pitch.

Infuriating. Why Sox games were so long.

Would have been interesting if gloves had never been allowed. They'd have to do odd things like tap the bat on each cleat.

Yay, big yay! Length of games isn't a problem, pace of play.



Watch a little of this. No tomfoolery from pitcher or batter. The game moves right along and holds your interest much better. Having no pitching changes helps a lot but you can't do anything about that.

I don't see the point. It will end up saving like 4 minutes per game. Baseball is the only big 4 sport without a time limit. I wish they'd just leave it alone.

I'm 100% for anything that'll speed up the pace of the game. I'm an old schooler who started being a baseball fan in the early 50's when 2 hour games were the norm.

Sept. 28, 1919, New York Giants vs Philadelphia Phillies in the Polo Grounds. Behind pitcher Jesse Barnes, the Giants won 6-1. Barnes threw a complete game, striking out two and walking none. Phillies pitcher Lee Meadows also threw a complete game and took the loss. George "High Pockets" Kelly had three hits for the Giants and scored once. Time of the game: 51 minutes.

The fastest game in professional baseball history was Aug. 30, 1916, in Asheville, N.C., between the Asheville Tourists and the Winston-Salem Twins. "It was one of the last games of the 1916 Class D regular season, and the Twins had a three o'clock train to catch out of Asheville," according to a CBSsports.com story. "The problem? The game was scheduled to start at 2 o'clock." So the two teams agreed to start more than a half-hour early and to play as quickly as possible, the pitchers lobbed the ball and the batters swung at the first pitch. Time of the game: 31 minutes. The game ended before it was officially scheduled to begin. Twins won 2-1.