MLB offers to drop clock

Major League Baseball has offered to ditch its proposal for a pitch clock this year and also would go without one in 2019 if the average time of a nine-inning game drops to at least 2 hours, 55 minutes this season. Speaking after a quarterly owners meeting ended Thursday, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said owners authorized him to implement management’s proposal from last offseason, which calls for a 20-second pitch clock this year, if an agreement cannot be reached with the players’ association. Management has proposed a deal that would phase in new rules over the next three seasons. At a Jan. 23 meeting in New York attended by Manfred, deputy commissioner Dan Halem and union head Tony Clark, MLB said its latest proposal was for an 18-second pitch clock with no runners on base in 2019 if the average time of a nine-inning game is higher than 2:55 this year, a person familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details were not announced. MLB proposed if the average time of a nine-inning game in 2019 is 2:50 or higher, a 20-second pitch clock with runners on base would be added for 2020, the person said. MLB did not set a specific deadline for the union to reach an agreement, the person added. The average time of a nine-inning game was a record 3:05 last year and has not been at 2:55 or below since 2011 and at 2:50 or under since 2006. MLB also has proposed limits on trips to the pitcher’s mound.