Marcus Stroman on Thursday said he is getting used to the MLB’s new pitch clock.
It is no small deal for the Chicago Cubs right-hander.
“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s a big adjustment.”
Photo: AP
Stroman committed the MLB’s first regular-season pitch-clock violation in the third inning of the Cubs’ 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day. It was the first of 14 violations in 15 games on a day when the average game time shrunk 26 minutes to 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, stolen base attempts per game more than doubled from opening day last year, an indication that efforts to spur the running game might be working.
Runners were 21 of 23 on steal attempts on Thursday, compared to five of nine in seven games on the first day of last season.
Photo: AFP
Five pitch timer violations were by batters, eight by pitchers and one by a catcher as all if the MLB teams opened on the same day for the first time since 1968.
Stroman clocked an unwelcome spot in the record books while facing Christian Yelich. He took a long look at rookie Brice Turang leading off second base with no outs at Wrigley Field, and then just as he turned his attention back to Yelich, plate umpire Ron Kulpa called the violation.
Kulpa pointed to his wrist in announcing the call and the automatic ball made it a 2-2 count against Yelich.
Photo: AFP
Stroman did not argue.
“You’ve got to be looking at the clock. You’re trying to worry about the pitch. You’re trying to worry about the guys on base. You’re trying to worry about your grip,” Stroman said. “There’s so many things going on now, so it definitely adds another layer to the game that’s tough, to be honest with you. It’s definitely not easy to be a pitcher out there and to feel rushed at times.”
The MLB instituted the pitch clock this season to speed the pace of play. Players have 30 seconds to resume play between batters. Between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds with nobody on and 20 seconds if there is a baserunner.
Batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher with at least 8 seconds on the clock.
When a pitcher fails to throw a pitch in time, the penalty is an automatic ball. When a batter is not ready in time, it is an automatic strike.
Boston Red Sox star slugger Rafael Devers became the first batter to strike out via violation. Devers was looking down and kicking debris off his cleats in the eighth inning when Lance Barksdale signaled a violation that resulted in strike three.
“There’s no excuse,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “They know the rules.”
J.D. Davis of the San Francisco Giants became the first hitter called for a pitch-clock violation in any count during the ninth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium.
The opening day rollout was mostly smooth, but a few issues arose in Miami.
In the fifth inning, New York Mets ace Max Scherzer stared down the Marlins’ Bryan de la Cruz until the clock hit zero.
De La Cruz began shouting “Ball, ball, ball” — as in, call an automatic ball, but plate umpire Larry Vanover thought the hitter was calling for a timeout.
Scherzer escaped without the automatic ball and later induced a popup from De La Cruz.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles stole five bases during a 10-9 win over the Boston Red Sox, leading a league-wide surge in swipes on opening day.
The league-wide success rate of 91.3 percent dwarfed last year’s 75 percent.
In games on Friday, it was:
‧ Marlins 2, Mets 1
‧ Astros 6, White Sox 3
‧ Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 2
‧ Mariners 4, Guardians 9
‧ Padres 1, Rockies 4
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