Minor leagues will use a pitch clock this year

By Stanford Crissey | Mar 24, 2015

Oct 22, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of baseballs before game two of the 2014 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitchers in AAA and AA will have to pitch within 20 second time limit

As part of baseball’s ongoing efforts to improve the pace of play, the minor leagues will implement a pitch clock for the 2015 season.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, pitchers in AAA and AA will have to pitch within a 20 second time limit for the first time this season.

Pitchers must begin windup or begin motion within 20 seconds or an automatic ball will be called, per new minor-league rules at AAA-AA.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 24, 2015

There will be a grace period in April, but beginning May 1, the rules will be enforced where pitchers must begin windup or motion in 20 secs
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 24, 2015

This is MLB’s first real step toward improving the pace of play, which has been an idea visited by new commissioner Rob Manfred since he took office, in response to the increasing length of games. The average length of an MLB game has increased by more than 15 minutes since 2010, and almost 20 minutes since 2005.

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Here’s the thing though: the increased length of games has less to do with pitchers taking a long time to pitch, and more to do with increased commercials. The fact that networks take a commercial break every time a new pitcher is called in from the bullpen is more of an unnecessary increase in time than anything else.

It’s the same in every sport. NFL games are three and a half hours long partly because there’s a commercial break after the touchdown, then after the kickoff. Same goes for basketball’s “timeout on the floor” concept, which doesn’t even pretend to have basketball reasons behind it. Unless leagues give up this commercial time (which is highly unlikely), the games will continue to be long, and no other small changes will affect it.

And let’s be honest; if you’re a baseball fan, don’t you want the games to be a little longer? Part of the beauty of baseball is that it has no clock; adding one could take away one of the fundamental things that separates baseball from the other sports. If people are complaining that baseball games are too long, but not about four-hour college football games, they’re probably not baseball fans at all, and MLB shouldn’t really be worrying about them.

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