rocket domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/da961834/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Last week, I wrote about one of baseball\u2019s biggest problems<\/a>: its inability to market the game\u2019s biggest stars (or the game itself). This week, I\u2019d like to delve into the product itself, which, frankly, ain\u2019t what it used to be.<\/p>\n Analytics have been great for executives and managers, not so great for fans and attendance<\/a>. We\u2019re seeing more strikeouts than hits. Batting averages are as low as they\u2019ve been since 1972 \u2013 the year before the American League instituted the DH. Teams are employing the shift in more than 17 percent of plate appearances. They\u2019re also using an average of 4.2 pitchers per game \u2013 up from 2.75 from three decades ago. That\u2019s 2.9 extra pitchers \u2013 and pitching changes \u2013 per game. Add it all up, and balls are put in play about once every four minutes. Nevertheless, the average game last year lasted a record 3 hours and 5 minutes<\/a>.<\/p>\n In other words, it\u2019s taking longer to see less.<\/p>\n Fans, without question, have noticed. Major League Baseball is on pace for its lowest attendance since 2003, and attendance \u2013 relative to 10 years ago \u2013 is down by more than 4,000 fans per game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is a problem.<\/p>\n I\u2019m all for executives and managers using information \u2013 analytics \u2013 to win games. But not if it makes people turn the channel \u2013 or turn it on to begin with.<\/p>\n In recent years, I\u2019ve come across numerous suggestions about improving pace of play \u2013 and the game itself<\/a>. From limiting pitching changes to outlawing the shift to unlimited substitutions to starting extra innings with a runner on second base (which I think is an abomination), everyone has ideas about how to make baseball better<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Well, if I were commissioner for one day and one day only, I would make one change (and one change only) to the game: I would institute a pitch clock. Only I wouldn\u2019t make it 20 seconds, as many have suggested. I would make it 15.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right. Fifteen seconds. When the ball hits the pitcher\u2019s glove, the clock starts. The ball must be out of his hand before it hits zero. If not, the umpire calls a ball.<\/p>\n Let’s do the math. The exact number varies by year, but there are roughly 300 total pitches in a game<\/a>. In 2017, pitchers averaged 23.8 seconds between pitches<\/a>. Call it 24. That’s 7,200 seconds between pitches per game. That’s 120 minutes \u2013 exactly two hours. If pitchers averaged 15 seconds between pitches, that’s 4,500 seconds between pitches per game. That’s 75 minutes.<\/p>\n Thus, a 15-second pitch clock \u2013 and nothing else \u2013 would shave 45 minutes off the game. Just like that, we\u2019re looking at games around 2 hours and 20 minutes.<\/p>\n Think 15 seconds is too fast? It isn\u2019t. In fact, baseball has a 12-second rule. Rule 8.04: \u201cWhen the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call \u2018Ball.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If 12 seconds is enough time to pitch with the bases empty, shouldn\u2019t 15 seconds be enough time to pitch with runners on?<\/p>\n Former pitching coach Ray Miller had a simple saying: \u201cWork Fast, Change Speeds, Throw Strikes.\u201d A pitch clock would take care of \u201cWork Fast.\u201d The rest is up to the pitcher.<\/p>\n To me, there\u2019s no disadvantage to being efficient. In fact, it may even help some guys. There are a lot of sayings in sports about overthinking. \u201cThink Long, Think Wrong\u201d and \u201cParalysis by Analysis\u201d are two of them. A pitch clock would force pitchers to stick with their scouting reports and go with their gut. It would also force guys to stay in shape, which may prevent injury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not everyone, of course, would like this change. After all, baseball has remained more or less the same since its inception. It has been hesitant to adopt new rules, which is good. One of the things that people love most about baseball \u2013 and one of the things that\u2019s made it our national pastime \u2013 is that it\u2019s, well, timeless. There\u2019s no clock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not all clocks, however, are created equally. I\u2019m not suggesting that baseball be played within a finite amount of time like the NBA (48 minutes), the NFL (60 minutes), or soccer (90 minutes). I\u2019m simply suggesting it be played with a defined pace. A pitch clock would speed up the game without robbing it of its structure or soul. We would still have nine innings, and teams would still hit until there are three outs.<\/p>\n Aesthetically, I don\u2019t know that the pitch clock would even need to be on the scoreboard. There could be a small clock along the backstop behind home plate, or the third base umpire could keep time with a stop watch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aside from that, nothing would change.<\/p>\n Baseball purists, I\u2019m sure, aren\u2019t too happy with me right now! A clock, they say, would fundamentally alter the game and ruin what makes it great. While I understand and appreciate that perspective, I also want us to ensure that future generations experience \u2013 and enjoy \u2013 baseball like I did. If we lose a generation of fans, the future of the game would be in jeopardy.<\/p>\n Not sure how you feel about a pitch clock? Just remember there was a time when basketball didn\u2019t have a shot clock. Teams would often get a lead and stall. It wasn\u2019t uncommon to see final scores in the 20s \u2013 or teens. That changed in 1954 \u2013 63 years after the game was invented \u2013 when simple arithmetic led to a 24-second shot clock<\/a>. Sixty-four years later, the shot clock remains one of the greatest innovations in basketball history.<\/p>\n Does it feel odd or wrong to see a shot clock in basketball? Not at all \u2013 especially if you were born after 1954. Instituting a pitch clock might feel strange at first, but it would eventually become a natural part of the game \u2013 especially for kids who grow up with it.<\/p>\n The only other change I would institute pertains to instant replay. In an effort to get all calls correct, we’ve created additional delays. Managers should get one challenge per game, period. They should also be required to challenge plays instantly \u2013 as opposed to having someone review the play first to determine if there’s a legitimate chance of getting a call overturned.<\/p>\n This would force managers to be more selective. If a home run looked questionable, review it. But if the umpire gets a call wrong on a bang-bang play at first base, well, life goes on. Missed calls are a part of sports. They’re unavoidable, even with instant play. As players, we learned to live with missed calls. So did fans. Let’s do whatever we can to keep the game moving (more on this in a future blog).<\/p>\n