FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It could have been a very long day for the Pirates.
Going by Stathead's data, there have been 50 games since 2013 where a team used at least nine pitchers in a game that did not go to extra innings. Every single one lasted over three hours, while eight went at least four hours.
After scratching Rich Hill because of illness before a game Sunday, for example, the Pirates opted to go with a bullpen/minor-league day for their road game against the Braves and needed nine pitchers to get through the afternoon. The length of that game? Two hours and 39 minutes. Again going by Stathead's data, there has only been one game in regular-season history that was that quick but used at least that many pitchers: Oct. 2, 1949, when the St. Louis Browns lost a 4-3 matchup to the White Sox.
And the time of the Pirates' game Monday, an 8-4 loss to the Twins here at Hammond Stadium: 2:21.
Thank the pitch clock for that.
Perhaps the most drastic pitching-focused rule change the league has adopted since lowering the pitcher's mound in 1969, there might not be much to say about the pitch clock that hasn't already been said. I took a deep dive into last year when the new rule was inevitable. DK and I have been singing its praises this spring. There have been a couple minor scuffles along the way of getting to know these new rules...
Asked Colin Holderman about that pitch clock violation strike 3 to end the game:
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) March 18, 2023
"I was kind of mad too, to be honest. He was mad, I was mad. I wanted to throw the pitch. You always dream about throwing in the ninth inning, punching a guy out. You don't dream it up like that."
But the goal was to make games shorter, and it unquestionably has. The average length of a Pirates game this spring has been two hours and 34 minutes. The 2022 Pirates played just eight games all of last year that were that short. Keep in mind that Pirates games were a bit on the short side even last year, averaging a three hour, four minute runtime, the seventh-quickest in baseball.
Games have averaged being at least three hours every season since 2012. They were 3 hours and six minutes on average in 2022. That is going to change in 2023.
The new rule changes have all worked this spring. Last year, the league-wide batting average on a ball in play was .290. This year, it's .319. The restricted shift rules are creating more hits. The pitch clock is speeding up games, and it's encouraging more stolen base attempts because of the timer and limited pickoffs.
"That's the type of game I want to play," the speedster Ji Hwan Bae told me.
The new rule changes are probably going to be good news for the Pirates. They brought in some of the most heavily-shifted hitters last year in Carlos Santana, Ji-Man Choi and Andrew McCutchen, and they could have six players in the opening day lineup who had a sprint speed of roughly 28 ft./sec or higher: Oneil Cruz (29.9 ft./sec), Bae (29), McCutchen (28.9), Jack Suwinski (28.7), Bryan Reynolds (28.2) and Ke'Bryan Hayes (27.9). For reference, the average MLB speed was 27 ft./sec. The new rule changes could be an advantage for them.
And like they did with the shift rules, they'll keep those pickoff rules in mind when finishing constructing this roster.
"We’ve all seen the running game," Ben Cherington said over the weekend. "Stolen bases are up. Stolen base success rate is up in spring training. Exactly what that’s gonna look like once the season starts, none of us know for sure. I think it’s a decent bet that there’ll be some more running going on. It seems like it’s happened so far this spring. That is a consideration as we make final decisions."
Those new rules are arguably there to help improve the quality of the game. The pitch clock and game length is to make it better for fans, though Mitch Keller confessed that he thinks it's helping him be more effective on the mound.
"[It] helps me move quicker, keep my pace up," Keller said. "I get into that rhythm quicker a little bit sooner."
Pitchers can still control the run game with the timer. Keller makes sure to get on the rubber sooner. The ball is in his hands longer and he can still vary how long he holds it, making it tougher for runners to get a jump. It's an adjustment he will have to make after allowing 17 stolen bases on 20 attempts (85%) when he was on the mound last year.
On the catching side, Tyler Heineman theorized that the ability to back pick is going to be more important now to control that running game, adding that Austin Hedges already does it well.
While there are better ways to evaluate catcher defense than just stolen base percentage, that's going to be a key stat across the league all year.
"I don’t really care what the pitcher does and I don’t really care who’s running; as long as I can be quick, accurate and on the bag in the right spot, I’m going to throw out a lot of guys," Heineman said. "I’ve always done that my entire career, so it’s not going to change."
The pitch clock is going to be monitored throughout its entire inaugural season. It's a potentially paradigm-shifting change that was designed to make games shorter but could have ripple effects. Can pitchers maintain velocity and stuff deep into games if they have to keep pitching at this pace? Can they do it over the course of the whole season? We'll have to see.
The final results are far from conclusive, but this spring indicates that for the first time ever, a pace of play rule is going to actually drastically shorten the length of games. That is only going to help make this a more accessible, consistently enjoyable game.
