The new era of baseball is officially underway, and Marcus Stroman is now the answer to a trivia question.
Major League Baseball has a shot clock after several years of minor league experimentation. Pitchers have 15 seconds to throw a pitch, 20 seconds with runners on base.
The Chicago Cubs pitcher was penalized for MLB’s first regular season shot clock violation.
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Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on March 30, 2023 in Chicago. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
With a runner on second base, Stroman ran out 20 seconds before starting his move, and still didn’t throw his pitch on time.
With Christian Yelich at the plate, Stroman came ready, looked and looked to second. He then faced home plate again, and the plate umpire called the violation, resulting in a ball, making it even at 2-2.
Batters have eight seconds to be «alert» in the batter’s box. Manny Machado was the first offender in the spring when he took his time getting back to the batter’s box. He recognized that it would take him a while to get used to the rule.
Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs reacts during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on March 30, 2023 in Chicago. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The new rules are intended to speed up the pace of play and create more action on the base paths with walks, strikeouts and home runs and the increase in batter jitters over the years.
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«Our investigation showed that the game had evolved and changed in ways that the fans didn’t like, and we decided it was time to step in, to make sure we put the best form of baseball on the field,» said MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred. this week.
The shot clock has done exactly what it was meant to do. Spring training games were 26 minutes shorter this year than they were in 2022. The MLB average nine-inning regular season game last year took three hours and three minutes. The previous year it was 3:10, the longest ever.
Referee Matt Brown signals a shot clock violation during a spring training game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 12, 2023, in Scottsdale, Arizona. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
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The Yankees-Giants opening day game concluded at 2:33 with only one shot clock violation. Over a full season, that time would mark the fastest average in 43 years.