Like all major league pitchers, Clayton Kershaw is in the process of getting used to the pitch clock as he prepares for the start of the 2023 season.
Clayton Kershaw on pitching with the pick clock: #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/QgPTwdWBvu
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) March 10, 2023
The Dodgers ace has regularly attacked his responsibilities on the mound and he has not been the kind of pitcher who has taken a significant amount of time between pitches. In his first start, he did not haveany stoppages where umpires have issued an automatic ball when he has been on the mound.
He says he does not anticipate any problems in that area. The thing that he has to get used to is batters calling time out and remaining in a position where he can pitch quickly once the umpire declares that time is back in.
“Every time the hitter called time out, I held my position for 10 seconds and the results were not good,” Kershaw said. “It only happened twice and I don't know whether I like it or not.”
The pitch clock has had a notable impact on Major League Baseball during the spring training games. Pitchers have to deliver to home plate within 15 seconds when the bases are empty and within 20 seconds when runners are on base.
The average length of game in spring training has been 2 hours, 37 minutes, which is significantly shorter than MLB games have been in decades. The average game lasted 3 hours, 6 minutes last year.
In addition to the faster-paced games, Major League Baseball has attempted to get rid of infield shifts that see 3 infielders on one side of the field or the other.
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