Well, it didn't take long for MLB's first Pitch Clock victim. The honors go to the Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman on Opening Day. Starting in 2023 Major League Baseball has instituted a pitch clock for every pitch thrown. As per the rules: Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Hitters will need to be in the batter's box with eight seconds on the pitch clock. If a pitcher violates the pitch clock rules, the batter is awarded an automatic ball.
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Marcus Stroman Makes History on Opening Day
Marcus Stroman has been called for the first regular season pitch-clock violation in MLB history pic.twitter.com/hqQ1MUmfy4
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 30, 2023
In this situation, with a runner on second, Stroman had 20 seconds to deliver the pitch. As you can see in the video he was checking the base runner when the pitch clock expired resulting in a ball being awarded to Milwaukee Brewers batter Christian Yelich.
The goal of MLB's institution of a pitch clock is to increase the rate of play and limit the time a pitcher is just standing on the mound holding the ball. Catchers and Batters are also on the clock. A catcher has to be in the box within 9 seconds of the expiration of the Pitch Clock or risk a Ball being awarded to the batter. Batters have to be in the batter's box within 8 seconds of expiration or risk being awarded a strike. Manny Machado committed the first pitch-clock violation for a batter during spring training. So far, one has not happened yet on Opening Day.
Does a Pitch Clock Make the Game Faster?
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
According to Major League Baseball,, the pitch clock shortened games by 25 minutes when it was instituted in the minor leagues last year, bringing the game down from 3 hours and 3 minutes in 2021 to 2 hours and 38 minutes on average.
