WIth MLB Opening Day just a few days away, fans are prepared for a much faster iteration of the game in 2023. The league has instituted a pitch clock that has already shaved significant time off of games in spring training.
Mets ace Max Scherzer has, to an extent, embraced the rule change, saying earlier this year that it allows him to “totally dictate pace” in at-bats. Speaking to the media on Friday, he revealed that he still wishes umpires would have the ability to ditch the clock, as long as the game is moving along at a fair pace.
“Seeing this, I just wish MLB would give umpires the ability to turn the clock off,” he said, via SNY. “You don’t see any violations, as long as the hitters are playing at speed, we’re all playing at pace, if the umpire wants to, let the umpire turn the clock off and we just play baseball.
“The biggest rule here is that the hitter only has one timeout. So, that’s really been one of the biggest changes from the offensive side of the ball, and that’s forced the pace. And we’ve seen the results of that.”
Scherzer took the mound for one final spring training outing Friday against the Rays, allowing two runs while fanning an impressive 11 batters in two innings.
The three-time Cy Young winner is coming off of a solid debut season for New York, and appears set to build on it as he enters his age-38 season. While some may be annoyed by the advent of the pitch clock, Scherzer is busy figuring out how to best use it to his advantage.
