Opening Day is Here and so is the Much-Needed Pitch Clock

"Opening Day is here and the clocks will be ticking--for the greater good of the game."

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As a diehard fan of baseball, I love Opening Day. Maybe one day, they will make it a national holiday. But until then, I’ll cherish the day as the start of the 162-game marathon when everyone gets a fresh start. But what makes this year’s Opening Day vastly different than those from years past is the implementation of three new rules: 

  1. Bigger bases
  2. Banning of the shift
  3. The pitch clock

While the first two rules should create more offense and excitement, it’s the third new rule that will be the most beneficial for the sport: the pitch clock. 

I love baseball and everything about it. But if there’s one thing the casual viewer of the sport and I can agree on, it’s that something needed to be done about the significant slowdown in the pace of play in recent years. Whether it’s pitchers taking too long to select a pitch and make their delivery, or a hitter taking too long before stepping into the batter’s box, with few exceptions (extra innings, postseason), there really is no reason for baseball games to last more than three hours. 

The minor leagues began using the pitch clock beginning last year. And as someone who lives right next to First Tennessee Park, home of the Nashville Sounds, I regularly attend games every season. I got to experience the pitch clock firsthand last year and instantly could tell it made the product better. Sure, there was an adjustment for all the minor leaguers; but after a month into the season, everyone got used to the pitch clock and games were ending in around two and half hours. And we have seen basically the same result during Spring Training this year.

So, it appears that MLB has made significant progress in just a short amount of time. But like the minor leagues experienced last year, we can expect some growing pains early on at the major-league level. Could games early on this season be decided by the pitch clock? I wouldn’t rule that possibility out. But eventually, everyone will be on the same page, get used to the changes, and I believe the overall impact will be positive.

Despite America’s Pastime drawing record crowds at stadiums post-COVID-19, television viewership has been up and down over the years. But with a pitch clock in place and more people catching on to the faster pace of the games, we’ll almost certainly see a slight jump in numbers. Major League Baseball is doing their best to market their new rules in a new advertisement featuring one of the game’s most exciting pitchers, Nestor Cortes, Jr

Baseball has needed to address its pace of play for years, and the pitch clock will benefit everyone, from the diehard fan, casual viewer, or eventually even your grandpa, whom you may hear yelling at clouds over how fast the games are moving until he can adjust to the new, faster pace. I can’t wait to see how this all shakes out, but with this new rule, I never have been more confident in the health of the game of baseball than I am right now. Opening Day is here and the clocks will be ticking–for the greater good of the game.

Sean Atkins is the EIC at 615 Film, President of the Music City Film Critics’ Association, and a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association. He’s also a devout (and sometimes punished) fan of the Atlanta Braves, Houston Texans, and all things Vanderbilt. Follow him on Twitter: @SeanJ8

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