The pitch-clock era of Major League Baseball is officially underway. MLB's Opening Day of the 2023 season brought plenty of excitement around the baseball world, and so far the pitch clock has done its job in reducing the duration of games.
Only two of the first seven games played on Opening Day were longer than the shortest game of last year's Opening Day, according to The Athletic. Additionally, none of those seven games were longer than the average time of the first seven games last season, which clocked in at 3 hours and 11 minutes.
The shortest game of 2022's Opening Day was 2 hours and 49 minutes. During the first day of MLB action this season, the two games that went longer were a 19-run affair and a game that featured a combined 41 walks and strikeouts.
The Baltimore Orioles' 10-9 win over the Boston Red Sox lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, two of the four teams that lost 100 games last season, played a 3-hour, 2-minute contest. Considering the absurd amount of walks and strikeouts in that game, finishing it in just over three hours is a remarkable feat.
The pitch clock will surely have its critics throughout the MLB season, but it is at least doing its job in one of the reasons why it was introduced through day one. It's only a matter of time (no pun intended) before a pitch-clock violation happens during an important part of an MLB game. Baseball players are true professionals though and have had to adapt to several different rules introduced this season. Perhaps the pitch clock won't be as noticeable as many fans thought.
Follow Us
Subscribe