MLBPA wants baseball to soften pitch timer before playoffs - ESPN

SEATTLE — The Major League Baseball Players Association would like the league to soften the pitch timer rule as the 2023 season approaches the playoffs, but commissioner Rob Manfred is leaning toward keeping the current one in place.

«I don't think there are too many folks that want to have a new rule affect a game in a pennant chase or in the playoffs,» MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said Tuesday. «There are adjustments that can be beneficial.»

Soon after Clark spoke with reporters on the subject, Manfred was asked if there was a chance that MLB would tweak the current rules, which allow for 15 seconds between pitches when the bases are empty and 20 seconds when runners are on.

«In general, I think you ought to play the postseason the way you play the regular season,» Manfred said. «We are comfortable the way the clock and the violations — particularly late in the game, in high-leveraged situations — have been managed.»

Players aren't suggesting getting rid of the clock entirely — just tweaking it enough to provide extra time, especially in those high-leverage moments. That includes potentially adding seconds to the clock, approving extra timeouts or disengagements or any number of other ideas which Clark said would give players a chance to «breathe.»

«Considering you just played a 162-game season [with a pitch clock], nobody is looking to play 3½- to 4-hour games,» Clark said. «I don't think a few seconds here or there is going to create a 3½- to 4-hour game.»

According to league data, pitch clock violations have decreased over time this season, but Manfred admits it could impact an important game in October.

«We don't want a postseason game decided on a violation,» Manfred said. «We haven't had a game decided