Minor League Baseball games are saving time after implementing a pitch clock, which could set the stage for Major League Baseball to adopt the change in 2023.
The use of a pitch clock across minor-league games was found to reduce game times by 20 minutes, according to an analysis by ESPN. In the first 132 minor-league games with the pitch clock, the average game time was 2 hours and 39 minutes. In comparison, 335 games that operated without the clock in 2021 lasted an average of 2 hours and 59 minutes, the outlet found.
“It seemed like it accomplished exactly what MLB wants the game to look like in a few years,” said Henry Davis, a catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ high-A affiliate.
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Scoring remained nearly unchanged, regardless of the clock, as non-clock games featured 5.13 runs compared to clock games with 5.11 runs.
A pitch clock was established to limit the amount of time a pitcher has before he throws the ball. Pitchers are allowed 14 seconds when the bases are empty and 18 seconds with runners on. The AAA and AA teams have used 20-second pitch clocks since 2018.
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Pitch clocks could be used by MLB to help shorten game times, which have continued to climb in recent seasons. Over the last three seasons, game times have increased every year. Last year’s games averaged 3 hours, 15 minutes, and 7 seconds in length.
Baseball has enacted other changes at the outset of the 2022 season, including allowing players to wear ads on their uniforms. The San Diego Padres announced on Tuesday that they had struck a deal to feature Motorola ads on team uniforms.
