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One of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball is strongly opposed to using a stopwatch to try to speed up the game.
According to ESPN.com, Max Scherzer, of the Washington Nationals, explained why he was "fundamentally opposed" to forcing throwers to throw the ball within a certain time:
"I know that as players, that's what the MLB is trying to negotiate in. I do not think there's any negotiation here. As players, that should just not be in the game. Have a stopwatch, if you have implications for the ball hitting, it is play with the structure of the game. There is no clock in baseball, and there is no clock in baseball for a reason. "
The MLB set up this year a 20 second stopwatch during the spring training matches. According to the announcement of the league, the application of the clock will include three phases. At first, the clock was introduced to familiarize players and referees with it. This week, referees will call back pitchers and batters who take more than 20 seconds between shots.
According to the results of negotiations with the MLB Players Association, referees "later in the spring training" could impose balloon penalties on players who break the rule.
Grant Brisbee, of SB Nation, watched a 1984 and 2014 MLB game to understand why the most recent one lasted 37 minutes more:
"The time between shots is the main villain … … that's it.It's the secret.It's not just commercials.It's not just left-handed pitchers who face a single batter even if it's absolutely a draw. " huge difference in games when that happens.
"It's not as if all the 2014 players were rotten with hitters who made an impression of Nomar Garciaparra between shots." It was a marked difference among modern players who did absolutely nothing remarkable. The batter caught his breath before stepping back in. The pitcher holds the ball for an extra beat. "
The nine-run average game has lasted at least three hours in four of the last five seasons, in reference to baseball.
Scherzer is a member of the MLBPA executive board, which gives him a special place at the stopwatch table. His lack of support for the issue could force both parties to find a compromise.
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