Francisco Lindor’s reaction to Astros pitch clock violation was pure comedy (Video)

We’re all learning how the pitch clock works, to be fair. ESPN’s production crew is no different. The Mets-Astros broadcast didn’t go as planned, but Francisco Lindor loved it.

The pitch timer is strange, but it’s working. The average MLB broadcast time has decreased by upwards of 20 minutes, which was the ultimate goal of Rob Manfred and his minions.

The game is changing, as is the average sports audience. Few fans want to sit through a non-Red Sox vs Yankees four-hour baseball game. Pirates vs. Orioles, for example, should only take 2.5 hours tops.

That doesn’t make all this normal, however. The adjustment to the pitch clock has been well-noted by players and coaches alike, but what about the broadcast crew? ESPN failed to catch a violation from Yainer Diaz of the Houston Astros until after the fact. It resulted in a strikeout.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1630642481539760157

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor loved Astros pitch clock violation

Francisco Lindor happened to be mic’d up for the entirety of the inning with the ESPN crew. Lindor himself was surprised by the pitch clock violation, as even the players on the field had a tough time deciphering what occurred in the moment.

Lindor was pleased to learn that the Mets now had one out in the inning, but clearly this is going to take some getting used to from both sides.

Diaz was called out because he did not enter the batters’ box with eight or more seconds remaining on the pitch clock. This is a violation because it doesn’t give the pitcher enough time to go through their windup and throw towards home plate.

If spring training is any indication, umpires are going to be very strict about the rule this coming season. Eventually, players will adjust, but for now the new nature of the pitch clock is catching some off-guard.