MLB Off-Topic

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Interesting rule I never knew about but was recently wondering until it happened today.

If a ball hits a 1B or 3B umpire first, its considered a foul ball IF the ump is ahead of the fielder. It's fair if he's behind the fielder.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Interesting rule I never knew about but was recently wondering until it happened today.

If a ball hits a 1B or 3B umpire first, its considered a foul ball IF the ump is ahead of the fielder. It's fair if he's behind the fielder.

What? That can't be right. I thought it was a single.

EDIT: Oh, you said corner umpire. I still don't get it. How does that situation even occur, and why should the batter be penalized? Even if you declare no pitch at worst, a foul ball is a strike and there is no guarantee a fielder is making such a play where an instance would occur.

It should still be a single.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

What? That can't be right. I thought it was a single.

EDIT: Oh, you said corner umpire. I still don't get it. How does that situation even occur, and why should the batter be penalized? Even if you declare no pitch at worst, a foul ball is a strike and there is no guarantee a fielder is making such a play where an instance would occur.

It should still be a single.

The result of the play is a single if it hits the ump and he's behind the corner IF...although, I do wonder what the ruling is in the event of a shift. Do they use the bag as the marker?

In the game today, it happened and Jays players briefly felt like if it didn't hit the ump it would've gone foul, but Rays could tell if it didn't hit the ump, they would've gotten a double. But the ruling was a single.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

The result of the play is a single if it hits the ump and he's behind the corner IF.

I thought that was just a live ball (maybe a guarantee of single, but otherwise playable).

I might be thinking of a thrown ball.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I thought that was just a live ball (maybe a guarantee of single, but otherwise playable).

I might be thinking of a thrown ball.

The default rule is probably just a single since the fielding team could argue it might have been a foul ball while the hitting team could argue it would've been a double, so a single is a compromise there.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

The default rule is probably just a single since the fielding team could argue it might have been a foul ball while the hitting team could argue it would've been a double, so a single is a compromise there.

Where is this umpire in a position for this to possibly be a foul ball? I'm very confused.

EDIT: Oh, you mean it's a line drive?? Oh I know nothing about that rule lol.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

2021 Average Game Time, Low-A West League*

Before pitch clock: 3:02
After pitch clock: 2:41

(*Formerly the California League)
.................................................. .................................................. ..
AVERAGE TIME PER 9 INNINGS, MLB
<table class="in-article ia-sb-normal table border-transparent-imp"><tbody> <tr></tr><tr><td>1981
</td><td>2:33
</td></tr><tr><td>1991
</td><td>2:48
</td></tr><tr><td>2001
</td><td>2:58
</td></tr><tr><td>2011
</td><td>2:51
</td></tr><tr><td>2021
</td><td>3:09
</td></tr></tbody></table>............................................ .................................................. ......................
But zippier game times aren’t the only reason this rule has people rethinking that whole Only Game without a Clock mantra. It’s turned out that playing games with better rhythm and almost no dead time has had an impact on much more than the time of the postgame fist-bump line. Since the arrival of the clock, this league has also seen:

• More runs
• More action
• More homers
• Fewer walks
• Fewer strikeouts
.................................................. .................................................. .......................
The pitch clock is 15 seconds (17 seconds with runners on base), down from 20 seconds at the upper levels of the minors. Pitchers have 15 seconds to start their delivery. Otherwise, the umpire can call an automatic ball.

The batter is required to be in the batter’s box and “attentive” to the pitcher with eight seconds left on the clock. Otherwise, it’s an automatic strike.
.................................................. .................................................. ...........................


.................................................. .................................................. ........................
LESS VELOCITY? The data doesn’t support the theory that pitchers delivering a pitch every 15 seconds lose velocity, because average fastball velocity without a clock (92.3 mph) and with it (92.4) is almost identical. But questions remain about that impact, despite the raw numbers.
.................................................. .................................................. ...........................

One high-ranking AL executive: “A pitch clock would address a lot of concerns. There’s no one silver bullet. But having to throw more pitches more quickly would reduce velocity (because of less recovery time). What you’d expect to see is less break, less velocity, more contact and quicker pace. So it would address a lot of concerns.”
.................................................. .................................................. ........................
James McCann: “I think it’s ridiculous. One of the beautiful things about baseball is the fact that there is no time associated with it. There’s no way for the winning team to hold on to the ball a little bit longer and not let the opponent have a shot to come back and score. Every team gets the same amount of outs. For me, that’s something (special) about baseball, that there is no time factor.”

McCann’s biggest reservation about clocks is one shared by many big-league players. This isn’t some beer-league softball game. This is the major leagues, and there’s a weight attached to every pitch that isn’t there in any other setting, including any minor league you want to study. So that time between pitches shouldn’t be rushed, they believe — for any pitcher, catcher or hitter, because there’s so much to process.

James McCann: “It’s huge. As a catcher, on defense, there’s a time period for me. I’m going through my head what our scenario is, how we’re going to attack this hitter. Then I have to put down a sign, and he agrees or disagrees with me, (so) there could be another sign.
.................................................. .................................................. ........................
McCann has every right to think that, and all of us should understand why he does. But here’s something else to consider: He’s also among a shrinking percentage of big-league players who have been in the big leagues so long, all they know is life without a clock.

In the minor leagues, pitch clocks of some sort have been in place for the last seven seasons. It had only been in Double A and Triple A before this year. And those clocks are less aggressive (20 seconds per pitch with no one on base) than those Low-A West clocks. They also have more leeway than the Low-A West rule allows, which has let pitchers evade the dwindling clock digits by calling time or stepping off the rubber. Nevertheless …

The number of hitters who have never played in one of those leagues with a clock is now down to slightly more than two per team. The number of pitchers who fit the same profile is around three per team.

Now let’s do that math. It essentially means that more than 80 percent of all players in the major leagues in 2021 have now played with some kind of pitch clock. So they know it’s possible. And it didn’t stop them from doing what they do successfully enough to make it to the big leagues.
.................................................. .................................................. .....................
Barring some surprise agreement with the players on phasing in a clock, there would seem to be an excellent chance that by next season, every minor league is playing with a 15-second clock. MLB wouldn’t need union approval for that. And here’s why expanding this clock to all leagues seems obvious:

• Vastly increases the sample size so everyone can see if the impact on the game in the Low-A West League replicates itself on every level, in every way.

• Allows more players to experience life with a 15-second clock. Which gives big-league players more firsthand input, from fellow players, on the pros and cons.

https://theathletic.com/2829518/2021/09/17/can-this-minor-league-pitch-clock-solve-all-of-mlbs-problems/

Food for thought. Lets keep gathering data.





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[DieHardYankee26]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I like the point he made that it won’t be an issue of adjusting after a few years because the vast majority of players have already played under a clock in the minors. Definitely made sense to start planting the seed down there.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I'm definitely on the side of having pitch clocks, and hope they implement it in the MLB.

I wouldn't even be opposed to the first season of MLB pitch clocks being a longer time just to get guys familiar with it, then lower it to the real number the following year.

Sure, there's lots of things which factor into game times, but when you look at certain pitchers in modern baseball and see their game times are short, but the game is still played the same way, it goes to show that it is very possible to speed up how often you throw while not impacting yours or the batter's game.

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

“I think it’s ridiculous. One of the beautiful things about baseball is the fact that there is no time associated with it. There’s no way for the winning team to hold on to the ball a little bit longer and not let the opponent have a shot to come back and score. Every team gets the same amount of outs. For me, that’s something (special) about baseball, that there is no time factor.”

This is a pretty dumb statement. Adding a pitch clock doesn't change how the game progresses. You still get 27 outs. This is complaining just to complain

[reyes the roof]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Mets games have been averaging about 4 hours per game recently so I’m in favor of anything to speed that up

[ubernoob]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Baseball needs a pitch clock if it wants to grow. The preliminary findings on that 15-second clock are a very nice start (though doesn't account for normal uptick in offense in June/July/August as the weather heats up) and the best thing about it is that it doesn't fundamentally change the game of baseball.

You can still stand wherever you want in defense (if you have the time to get set up there), you aren't adding fake baserunners that didn't get there. The only thing they are removing is dead time. Seriously, watch the clip in that video of a two pitch sequence compared side by side.

Nobody wants to watch a game that goes on for 3+ hours.

Also I'm pretty sure the rule in the rulebook as it stands currently is 12 seconds per pitch. So if baseball players really want to get ****in stupid about this, they should just enforce the current rule that's in the books.

This is also without getting into minor things like OF glove size regulations that could be changed to help the offensive side of the ball. Rule changes have been a thing since the beginning of baseball, people just need to learn to adjust.

Yup.

Here's the rule.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Not sure the current number, but could've sworn I heard the average time is 25 seconds.

I'm fine with it being a 20 second clock if that's the case.

[dubcity]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Sounds good to me. Games moving along at a brisker pace is actually taking it back to an old school contact-based style. There doesn't need to be a countdown on the scoreboard, just have the umpire have a device that let's him know. Could easily be implemented in a simple way, even though of course some managers and players will be kicking and screaming.

[Sportsforever]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Baseball purists (and I consider myself one) who wax poetic about there not being a clock in baseball...are flat wrong. There WAS a clock in the early days of baseball...that big orange ball of gas in the sky went down and the game was over or suspended. Players moved along with a purpose and one of the big jobs of the umpires was to make sure it moved along. It wasn't until lights came along that all the sudden the idea of an endless game with no time constraints came along.

Nothing wrong with moving the game along; personally, I'd rather the umpires do their job (and have the teeth to do it) and keep play moving, but if it takes a pitch clock, so be it.