In response to overwhelming demands from fans to try to reduce the time it takes to play a pro baseball game, the Chinese Professional Baseball League requested earlier in the week that game officiating crews strictly enforce the "20-seconds between pitches" rule.
The rule would only apply in cases where there are no runners on base.
Reactions to the request have been mixed. Some feel that rushing the pitcher is not a good solution.
"We all agree that the game should be finished under three hours, but interfering with a pitcher's rhythm is not the answer," one veteran pitcher who wishes to remain anonymous told the Taipei Times.
Having good pitchers who can consistently pitch around the plate and a solid defense that does not make errors to unnecessarily extend the length of an inning may be a better solution because batters would then be forced to swing more often.
"There is probably only a handful of guys in the league who can make their balls look as good as their strikes on a regular basis," Sinon Bulls' starting catcher Yeh Jung-chang (
In addition to having better quality pitchers, a sound defense that does not give a team two to three extra outs per game would also help reduce the length of a game.
These "extra outs" do not always come in the form of errors; they are mostly "invisible" ones that come in the form of a failed double-play conversion, a poor relay throw that misses a base runner, or a bad fielding decision that turns a sacrifice bunt attempt into an infield single.
Correct fan expectations also seem to be lacking.
"The game is meant to be enjoyed by those who understand the rich history and tradition behind it -- it's not a substitute for a two-hour movie," Brother Elephants shortstop Chen Rei-chen (
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