As MLB gets used to implementing a pitch clock this spring, many players, coaches and fans are debating whether the new rule is good or bad for the game. One of the league’s biggest and brightest stars appears to be in favor of the clock.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge commented on the pitch clock, saying that it should be “a good thing for everybody.” In fact, he went as far as to compare it to a clock that a different sport is using.
“When they brought the shot clock into basketball all those years ago, they had to learn to adjust,” Judge said, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “You couldn’t just sit around and dribble and run motion for five minutes.”
The NBA introduced the shot clock in 1954 when scoring in the league was low and needed a boost. That rule is one of the reasons that the NBA was able to stay afloat at the time and stay around long enough to grow.
So far, the new pitch clock has resulted in a few notable violations, including a game-ending automatic strikeout in a game between the Red Sox and the Braves.
It is too early to tell exactly what kind of impact the pitch clock will have on Major League Baseball, but so far it seems like it will quicken the pace and shave time off each game. It is certainly a good sign for the league that one of its most popular players is excited about the change.
