Cal Conley of the Atlanta Braves thought he had just won the game with a two-out, full-count, bases-loaded walk-off walk on Saturday. He took a few steps toward first base, bat in hand, when umpire John Libka jumped out from behind the plate and signaled three.
The game is over. Conley, apparently thinking he was given an automatic ball four, can’t believe it. He pointed to himself and said, “Me?” His colleagues couldn’t believe it either. The fans booed.
Welcome to 2023, where new baseball rules are designed to improve the pace of play. comes fast to everyone, especially gamers.
The strangest moment of the new pitch clock season came on the first full day of spring games, and in the strangest scenario possible. Conley, facing reliever Robert Kwiatkowski of the Boston Red Sox, was not placed in the box and alerted the pitcher with less than eight seconds on the clock.
The penalty was an automatic strike, leading to the game in North Port, Florida, ending in a 6-6 tie. Kwiatkowski got the strikeout after throwing only two true strikes.
It was a much more dramatic moment than when the San Diego Padres slugged Manny Machado on Friday became the first player to draw a pitch clock violation when he was called for an automatic strike in the bottom of the first inning against Seattle because he was not placed in the box in time.
The pitch clock is one of the new rules designed to speed up the pace of play. Players have 30 seconds to resume play between batters. Between pitches, pitchers have 15 seconds without a man on and 20 seconds with a baserunner. The pitcher must begin his delivery before the clock expires. After a pitch, the clock starts again when the pitcher returns the ball, the catcher and batter are in the circle around home plate, and the game is ready to resume.
MORE SIGN STEALING?
Could the pitch clock lead to more on-field sign stealing, instead forcing managers to cut out the third base coach as a middleman for relaying signs?
Veteran managers Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter thought so.
It’s an interesting point from Baker, considering he took over as Houston’s manager in 2020 after AJ Hinch was fired following the shocking revelation that the Astros illegally stole signs in 2017, when they won the World Series, and again in 2018.
“I worry about that because you always know people stealing signs,” Baker said Saturday as his defending World Series champion Astros beat Showalter’s New York Mets 4-2 in West Palm Beach, Florida. “And then there’s the sensitive area. OK, are you cheating? Is that part of the game, stealing clues? If I know you’re hitting and running that’s what I’m going to do.”
Baker said there was less time for the dugout to signal to the third base coach, who in turn had to relay signals to the batters and runners, and therefore less time for the use of decoys, which made in signs that are easy to understand.
Baker believes the pitch clock puts more pressure on the third base coach quickly — and is a bit tricky. On the other hand, the pitch clock also limits the amount of time defenses have to react, even if they know a hit-and-run or bunt is coming.
Baker said the toughest job on the field is third base coach. “Everybody in the ballpark has eyes on him. Everybody’s trying to interpret his sequence of signs. There’s guys in the stands, guys now on video. I mean, if you know what to do in the opposition, that’s a lot harder to do. Yeah, I’m worried about that.”
Showalter shared Baker’s concern to the point that he considered removing the middleman and all signs from the dugout itself, a practice common in the amateur ranks.
“There are a lot of things that, because we’re afraid to cheat in colleges or high schools because, ‘Oh, they’re amateurs and we’re pros,'” Showalter said. “There are things they do better. They didn’t go through the third base coach. Why are we moving things to a third base coach to move to the player? It’s just another relay.”
A HOMER AND A VIOLATION
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell used his one allotted timeout during his at-bat in the second inning, and then on the next pitch launched a towering two-run homer to leave the lefty in Seattle’s Marco Gonzales. In his last at-bat, he drew a violation for strike two by plate umpire Mike Muchlinski and was eventually struck out.
“I’m trying to figure out how much time there is before a strike, so I want to make sure I don’t call another one,” Adell said. “The next at-bat I ran for seven seconds and I got a strike called. I think it’s good, we all get into the rhythm of it, there are a few violations here and there.
HOUSE PLATE TENSION
The manager of St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Oliver Marmol said umpire CB Bucknor had “no class” for refusing to shake his hand during a lineup card exchange at home plate before the game against the Washington Nationals. Marmol, who shook hands with three other umps, saw Bucknor for the first time since being ejected in a controversial fight on Aug. 21 in Arizona.
“I went into the game sure of my thoughts on him as an umpire,” Marmol said. “They are not very good and it shows his lack of class as a man. I choose my words wisely. I don’t think he’s good at his job and it just shows his lack of class as a man.”
Marmol was ejected last year in the final game of a series after protesting a strike call by Bucknor against Nolan Arenado, with each loudly questioning the other’s “league time.”
Bucknor was unavailable after Saturday’s game and did not return a reporter’s phone call.
BRYANT ON THE MOVE
Colorado Rockies slugger Kris Bryant’s first spring training game this season included the extra runs he was hoping for. The 31-year-old is trying to bounce back after missing a large chunk of the 2022 season with various injuries, including his right foot. He hit .306 with five homers in 42 games.
Bryant reached first base on a fielder’s choice in the first inning against the Diamondbacks. He then scored from first base on Ryan McMahon’s double to the wall.
“I felt good running, I just felt slow,” Bryant said with a laugh. “But I thought for the first time in spring training doing that, it was a good test for me.”
SONGS
Phillies right-hander Noah Song threw on a mound during his third day of workouts after joining the team from the US Navy and said the session was “good.” The 25-year-old was a flight officer training on a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft before he was allowed to transfer from active duty to the reserves.
Song was impressive in his only pro season, making seven starts for Boston’s Class A Lowell affiliate in 2019, striking out 19 in 17 innings with a 1.06 ERA. With a fastball in the high 90s mph, he went 11-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 94 innings during his senior year at Navy.
The Phillies selected Song from the Phillies in December’s draft for unprotected minor league players.
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AP Sports Writer David Brandt and AP freelance writers Chuck King, Rick Hummel, Jack Thompson and Mark Didtler contributed to this report.
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