Manny Machado made history on Friday by becoming the first ever MLB player to have a pitch clock infraction. The San Diego Padres' star third baseman had a strike called against him after taking too long to get into the batter's box. Machado, who also had a hit in the Spring Training game, shared a hilarious reaction to the incident, per Talkin' Baseball.
“I might be 0-1 down a lot,” Machado said. “It's super fast. Definitely an adjustment period… but I'm going down in the history books.”
Manny Machado, who was seemingly in the box when the strike was called, explained exactly what occurred.
“Eight seconds, right on eight seconds you gotta be ready looking at the pitcher, engaged with the pitcher,” Machado said. “And right there I was looking up. So he told me, ‘hey, you got two seconds, you got two seconds!' I stepped in as soon as I looked up, bang! So I got called 0-1 right away.”
It may be Spring Training, but Manny Machado is the first player in MLB history to start 0-1 in an at bat
Because he took too long to get into the box. pic.twitter.com/cOfDpBKOzU
— Barstool Baseball (@Starting9) February 24, 2023
Manny Machado may be the first hitter to have an MLB pitch clock infraction, but he certainly won't be the last. It will require a significant adjustment period since players have spent most of their lives without being timed on the baseball field. One former player even said that Derek Jeter “wouldn't survive” in today's fast-paced, pitch-clock driven MLB environment.
The majority of fans have responded well to the faster pace of play so far. Granted, it has only been one day of Spring Training so opinions are still being formed. Nevertheless, the pitch clock is here to stay.
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