No pitch clock, but MLB moves to speed up games.
Rules changes limit visits to mound and reduce time between innings
Kendall Graveman had a simple response to baseball’s new pace-of-play rules that were announced Monday.
“I think what it boils down to is, we need to throw more strikes,” the A’s pitcher said from the team’s training camp in Mesa, Ariz. “You look at the Mark Buehrles and Greg Madduxes of the world, they threw some of the quickest games you’d ever imagine, and the Infielders and manager Bruce Bochy visit pitcher Matt Cain. Teams are allowed six mound visits in a nine-inning game. reason is they threw a lot of strikes.”
As part of the changes, mound visits will be limited to six over nine innings, and the time allotted for pitching changes and inning breaks will be reduced.
A pitch clock — a sore point for many players and fans — won’t be added, at least for now, but the changes that will take place will be felt throughout the game as Commissioner
Rob Manfred continues to push for faster-paced games.
The players’ union had rejected a proposal including a 20-second pitch clock. Though union chief Tony Clark said players were involved in pace-of-play talks and favor a “crisp and exciting brand of baseball for the fans,” he added his membership is “concerned about rule changes that could alter the outcome of games and the fabric of the game itself — now or in the future.”
Last season’s games averaged a record 3 hours and 5 minutes.
“I think, personally, they’re trying to dehumanize the game of baseball right now,” A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell said. “Yeah, we play long games. Guess what, we play nine innings. It’s just the nature of the beast.”
The changes were announced while the A’s and Giants were conducting their first full-squad workouts. Managers Bob Melvin of the A’s and Bruce Bochy of the Giants were in the process of reviewing the rules. Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations, will visit the Giants’ camp Tuesday and explain the changes.
In general, Bochy said he’s all in on speedier games and fewer mound visits.
“I’ve said for two or three years, that’s one of the biggest reasons the games have slowed down,” he said from Scottsdale Stadium. “I know the infielders are trying to help the pitchers. They go to the mound. The catcher goes to the mound. And the coach goes to the mound. It’s a good thing to limit visits.”
The six mound visits (that don’t involve pitching changes) pertain to managers, coaches and teammates. If Maxwell or Giants catcher Buster Posey walks to the mound, that’s a visit. Same with an infielder.
Clubs would get extra visits in extra innings and for pinchhitters, and an extra visit by the catcher would be allowed if the plate umpire determines he and the pitcher crossed up their signs.
Melvin said, not fully in jest, teammates could start yelling their messages from a distance.
A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson likes to visit a pitcher who reaches 25 to 30 pitches in an inning, and Melvin said, “We may cut that one out. … You’ll probably have to be a little strategic on when you need to do it.”
Emerson said he’s generally OK with the changes and is confident his pitchers will make it work, but he seems bothered by the persistent focus to make games faster when it’s not traditionally a time-regulated sport.
“If games get cut by a halfhour, I’ll say, ‘Man, this is good,’ ” Emerson said. “But if it gets cut by 7 minutes, then you’re like, ‘We’re going through all this controversy for 7 minutes?’
“When I was a kid, I wanted the game to go to midnight. I didn’t want to go home. When you’re a baseball fan, you want to stay as long as possible. That’s why, back in the day, we liked doubleheaders.”
Emphasizing the importance of mound visits, Maxwell said, “I think it’s going to piss a lot of people off, irritate a lot of pitchers. Sometimes we go out there just to give him a breather. It’s 15 seconds. He’s a little frustrated. It’s going to limit all that. We’ve got to save (the visits) for our coaches.”
As for breaks between innings — 2 minutes and 5 seconds for regular-season games and 2:25 for nationally televised games — umpires are to be more diligent enforcing the rules.
The timer for pitching changes will begin after the reliever crosses the warning track or — in the case of AT&T Park and the Coliseum, where bullpens are on the field — foul line.
The penalty for violating the rules on inning breaks and pitching changes? No balls or strikes will be called. Instead, players who “consistently or flagrantly” break the time limit rules will be subject to “progressive discipline for just cause” by the commissioner’s office.
On another front, replay review will be tweaked to quicken the process and better monitor sign-stealing, a reason teams would visit the mound.
“I am pleased that we were able to reach an understanding with the players’ association to take concrete steps to address pace of play with the cooperation of players,” Manfred said. “My strong preference is to continue to have ongoing dialogue with players on this topic to find mutually acceptable solutions.” Chronicle staff writers Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman
contributed to this report.