Major League Baseball made a huge change ahead of the 2023 season: The installation of a pitch clock that will keep games moving and force batters to get into the box quicker, along with pitchers throwing quicker.
Although some of the violations in spring training produced some bizarre moments, games were much quicker than they had been. But they moved things along in a way that baseball hasn’t seen in a long time.
If you’re here, you may be wondering about the rules of the pitch clock, along with the violations that could be called on hitter or pitcher. We’re here to help!
The basics
A 30-second timer starts between batters. It’s 15 seconds between pitches when there’s no one on base and 20 seconds when there’s a runner on.
The violations
If the clock runs out, it’s an automatic ball on the hitter. The clock stops when a pitcher begins his motion. Worth noting: a pickoff attempt or step off the rubber resets the clock.
If the batter isn’t in the batters box and, as MLB notes, “alert to the pitcher” by the time the clock hits eight seconds, it’s an automatic strike on the hitter.
The rules on pick-offs
This is all about “disengagements.”
Pitchers are allowed two of those per hitter. That includes a pickoff throw OR stepping off the rubber. The violation for a third disengagement is the runner advancing IF the pickoff attempt doesn’t work.
It’s also at the umpire’s discretion if he sees extra time is needed before starting up the clock, which you’ll see with a finger wave.
That’s it!
