MLB’s new pitch clock lastly made me love baseball

I ought to love baseball, actually I ought to. As somebody who grew up in Australia appreciating the gradual, methodical, typically nap-inducing repetition of check match cricket, the concept of seeing a equally strategic recreation to completion in a single afternoon ought to tickle the pleasure heart of my mind. Besides it hasn’t, not likely. Clearly I stored monitor of what was occurring, and tuned in like anybody else when Twitter is exploding a couple of huge recreation underway — however the enjoyment of sitting down from begin to end and truly watching baseball did nothing for me. Till now.

After three days of seeing the brand new, fast-paced MLB with the pitch clock in impact I’m completely, fully hooked. It appears like the whole lot I’ve needed to like about baseball, whereas stripping out essentially the most irritating components of the sport. I discover myself totally locked in on each at-bat, gaining an actual appreciation for supply cadence, a batter working the pitch rely, and the drama of a 3-2 pitch — whereas not discovering my eyes wandering all the way down to my cellphone or thoughts interested by different issues, solely to overlook the vital pitch the place some motion occurred.

It’s bizarre, as a result of there’s extra to this than simply “gradual recreation go sooner.” Naturally I’ve all the time been in a position to respect video games which have drawn out ritual, however the pitch clock not solely makes the sport transfer alongside extra briskly, however provides a complete new component of technique to the sport. I discover myself seeing the pitch clock tick down, questioning what the batter is considering, utilizing the clock itself as a brand new method of tipping pitches. This weekend alone I seen pitchers naturally threw greater within the clock in the event that they have been repeating a pitch sort than transferring to a brand new one.

Additionally, for the primary time in over a decade, I watched a recreation from begin to end. The final time got here when Daisuke Matsusaka made his first begin for the Pink Sox once I was in school, and my die-hard Sox fan from New Hampshire satisfied me to observe with him. I used to be so bored after 4 innings I couldn’t deal with it, however suffered by for him.

So right here I’m, in 2023, watching a recreation between the Brewers and Cubs on a Saturday afternoon, a recreation I’ve ZERO rooting curiosity in as a result of I don’t have a crew I assist, and loving each second of it. I’m messaging my pals like “I can’t imagine it’s been solely been an hour and we’re within the 4th inning.” I discover myself actually appreciating Brandon Woodruff throwing absolute fuel excessive within the zone over, and over once more — with nearly no time to suppose forward of time.

I’m completely floored by Dansby Swanson’s reflexes and response time, starting to grasp why he’s considered among the finest defensive gamers within the recreation. Then Harry Caray comes on the display for the seventh inning stretch and I’ve the belief: I get it now. I get all of it. I friggin’ LOVE baseball.

It’s astonishing how eliminating much less 10-20 seconds can change the whole lot, however that’s what the pitch clock has accomplished. As an alternative of watching baseball by passively glancing up on the TV from no matter else I’m doing, baseball is now my focus and I’ll look down at one thing else, however just for a second — worrying I’ll miss one thing superior.

On some degree I completely respect those that maintain reverence for the older, slower, extra open system — however there’s completely little question that at the very least for me, MLB is sort of a entire new sport with the pitch rely in impact. My eyes have been opened to the fantastic thing about this recreation in a method they by no means have earlier than, and my curiosity extends far past solely realizing what Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Decide are as much as.

I’m a baseball fan now, and it’s all due to the pitch clock. Now I simply want to choose a crew to root for.