Pitch clock infraction forces Red Sox’ first Grapefruit League game to end in a tie
The Red Sox were the beneficiaries of the new rule in Saturday's spring training game.
The Red Sox got their first taste of the pitch clock on Saturday, and it couldn’t have helped them at a bigger time.
Facing the Braves, the Red Sox blew a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth in their Grapefruit League opener as Atlanta scored three runs to tie the game. The Braves were threatening to win the game with Cal Conley stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded.
Red Sox reliever Robert Kwiatkowski got ahead in the count, but threw a ball that just missed the zone to make the count full. With a 3-2 count and the bases loaded, Conley could’ve won the game in a variety of ways.
However, Conley didn’t give himself the chance to win the game because he wasn’t fully set in the batter’s box and engaged with the pitcher with eight seconds left on the pitch clock. So, he was rung up for strike three, ending the game in a tie.
The call brought confusion from the Braves’ dugout, as Conley originally thought the pitch clock infraction was called on Kwiatkowski. But Conley and a couple other Red Sox hitters learned Saturday that hitters can commit a pitch clock infraction, too.
Earlier in the game, Red Sox outfielder Raimel Tapia committed a pitch clock infraction because he wasn’t set in the box and fully engaged with the pitcher. Boston was called for it again later in the game.
Red Sox outfielder Kiké Hernández joked about the rule saving them on Twitter after the game.
“Pitch clock coming in clutch!” Hernandez tweeted.
The pitch clock was implemented to help improve the pace of play ahead of the 2023 season. When there aren’t any runners on base, pitchers will have 15 seconds to pitch the ball. When there are runners on base, they’ll have 20 seconds. Hitters will have until there are eight seconds left on the pitch clock to be set in the batter’s box and be engaged with the pitcher or they’ll be called for a strike.
Prior to its implementation in MLB, the pitch clock was used in the minor leagues last season. The average minor league game took 25 minutes quicker to finish in 2022 compared to 2021 as a result.
The effects of the pitch clock were felt in Saturday’s Red Sox-Braves game. The average length of a game in MLB last season was three hours and three minutes. Saturday’s game 6-6, nine-inning game took two hours and 39 minutes to complete.
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