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The pitch clock addition to the MLB games has had great results both in game development and fan response, however, many question whether or not it would be also present during the World Series games.
The pitch clock was implemented to have more control over the game's duration after many believed that baseball games did not have a gauge on how long it would take, and it turns out it will be a league standard for all games, including the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred reports a 9.6% attendance increase
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred recently spoke about the matter at the Carlton Show, claiming that the initiative was fan-driven and the results were far better than they expected.
"This was a fan-driven initiative, and our research shows fans love the rule changes, the games are shorter; there's more action in the game; there's more athleticism, defense, base stealing, things that fans want to see. So, from that perspective, we see it as a huge success. The best thing about it [was] fans voted with their feet."
"Our attendance was up 9.6%. It's the biggest increase in 30 years in baseball. We got over 70 million for the first time in seven or eight years, and we feel like we're putting the best form of baseball out on the field."
However, players may have a different opinion of the league's newest clock, as some believe it takes away certain predictability and rhythm, "I think the pitch clock was a little too fast," said Phillies Aaron Nola.
Our research shows fans love the rule changes, the games are shorter; there's more action in the game; there's more athleticism, defense, base stealing, things that fans want to see
NY Mets pitcher Max Scherzer questioned the usage of the clock back in June "Why do we have to be so anal about this to have a clock shoved in everybody's face to snuff out every single second that's going through the game?"
Meanwhile Dodgers Clayton Kershaw claimed that "Any type of situation that would affect the game is a big deal, at the same time, we knew this was coming. There are ways around it, between you and your catcher, there are mound visits, and you can step off - we've kind of learned how to navigate it. At the end of the day, it wouldn't be fun to be dinged in a big moment."
Pitch Clock violation penalties
The penalties for a player to violate the pitch clock are not as hard as many believe, however, they could affect dearly on a tight game.
If a pitcher has not begun his full motion for the pitch by the time the clock hits zero, the batter will gain an automatic ball, the same thing happens if the catcher is not ready to receive the pitch by the 9th second.
In the case of the batter, the penalty is a little harsher, if the batter is not ready by the 8th second, he will earn a direct strike.