Countdown in Professional Baseball
Countdown in Professional Baseball... Pitchers Stumble Under the Pressure of the Pitch Clock
The crowd counts down to the pitch clock...
Psychological pressure ABS operates without problems just by trial operation ... Clean game progress
“5! 4! 3! 2! 1!”
The opening game of the 2024 season exhibition game between the professional baseball LG Twins and KT Wiz was held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 9th.
LG's away crowd began shouting numbers at the top of their voices during the top of the 9th inning when the team was ahead 5-2.
It was reminiscent of the countdown of a space rocket. 파워볼사이트
Feeling impatient, KT pitcher Kim Young-hyun began to shake.
Kim Young-hyun threw the ball in a hurry and gave up a walk when Kim Joo-seong's at bat count was 3 balls and 1 strike with 1 out and 1st base.
During Lee Jae-won's at-bat with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd base, he committed a wild pitch.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) introduced a pitch clock on a pilot basis this season.
A pitch clock is a rule that places a time limit on the pitching or hitting preparation process to reduce game time.
A pitcher must throw the ball within 23 seconds when there are runners on base and within 18 seconds when there are no runners on base.
The batter must be ready to hit at the 8 second mark.
If this is violated, the pitcher will be judged a ball and the batter will be judged a strike.
However, some teams voiced opposition, saying that introducing a pitch clock would increase the risk of injury to players, so the KBO decided to pilot the pitch clock until the first half of this year.
Players who violate the pitch clock will only receive a verbal warning from the referee.
The pitch clock, which was not expected to affect performance during the trial period, caused a stir on the first day of the trial game.
The electronic clock installed behind home plate and under the outfield electronic display placed considerable pressure on the players.
Players who did not throw the ball within the given time were booed by the audience.
In addition, the crowd counted down the pitches with their mouths and put pressure on the opposing team's pitcher.
This environment is expected to have a significant impact on players after the opening of the professional baseball regular season.
It can be fatal for pitchers with slow pitching tempos, inexperienced pitchers, or players with weak mental strength.
The impact is expected to be greater in the postseason.
Each club prepared the pitch clock in different ways last winter.
The LG Twins actively accepted the introduction of a pitch clock and completed training to throw the ball and step up to the plate within a limited time.
In addition, LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop ordered his players to do their best to comply with the pitch clock, regardless of whether it is officially introduced or not.
On the other hand, some clubs considered the issue of player injuries.
Pitchers were instructed to throw the ball at their own pace regardless of the pitch clock.
The outcome of each club's decision is expected to differ after the start of the regular season.
Pitch Clock also exposed areas that needed improvement on the first day of pilot operation.
In the LG-KT game on this day, the pitch clock equipment did not work until the 3rd inning, so it was applied from the 4th inning.
Meanwhile, in this game, the Automatic Pitching System (ABS), which distinguishes between strikes and balls using a tracking system and a computer program, was also introduced for the first time.
ABS, also known as 'robot referee', was operated cleanly, contrary to concerns that it could delay game time.
ABS uses cameras installed in each stadium to determine the trajectory of the ball thrown by the pitcher and then transmits the strike or ball decision as an audio signal to the umpire wearing earphones. The process was done quickly and in real time, so there was no sense of disconnect.
The controversy over ball decisions also disappeared.
LG foreign pitcher Detrick Ens seemed to have accurately thrown a fastball full to the body after a full count match with Kim Sang-soo in the bottom of the third inning, but it was ruled a ball and resulted in a walk.
Ens expressed regret, but agreed with the ABS decision.
Ens threw an outside curve that seemed a bit high at a ball count of 2 balls and 2 strikes against the follow-up batter assigned, but this time it was ruled a strike and resulted in a looking strikeout.
Bae Jeong-dae also frowned, but accepted the decision without comment.
The upper and lower standards of the strike zone determined by ABS are set at 56.35% and 27.64% of the batter's height, respectively, and a strike is judged only if it passes both the middle and end zones.
