MLB may finally have a popular rule change with its new pitch clock

M LB’s hottest new star is the talk of spring training. No, it’s not some big name prospect. It’s not a human being at all, in fact, but rather a timekeeping device. Yes, the buzz is all about how baseball is incorporating the pitch clock into its everyday routine, as those behind the scenes attempt to revitalize a game struggling to keep pace with the modern world.

For years, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has been tweaking the rules to cut the length of games – presumably to attract younger fans – without alienating the traditionalist bent of its core audience, a feat akin to a hippopotamus trying to walk across a tightrope. The most notable “innovation’” prior to this offseason had been the introduction of an additional baserunner in extra-inning games as way to avoid extended stalemates. Most fans have not warmed to the idea – but those actually working games like it, so it’s here to stay for the foreseeable future.

The simplest way to speed up games would be to limit the length of ad breaks. But that will never happen, barring a dramatic change to the entire economy of the sport. The next best strategy would be to reduce the amount of time players on the field are doing things that aren’t actually playing baseball.

This brings us back to the pitch clock. What is it? Well, it is what it says it is. Pitchers now have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds to throw once runners are on. If they don’t, they are called for a ball. Meanwhile, hitters have to be facing the pitcher by the eight-second mark or they will be tagged with an automatic strike. In addition, the rules state that there should be no more than 30 seconds between batters.

This is something brand new for pitchers and hitters and