“Pitch Clock” for the 2023 season, which has greatly benefited from the introduction.
Since the introduction of the Peach Clock, the average duration of a game in ML has decreased to around 2 hours and 40 minutes.
“Pitchclock” limits the pitching time of pitchers. The main content is to put pressure on pitchers visually by installing clocks in the stadium. In ML, pitchers had to throw the ball within 15 seconds without runners and 20 seconds without runners. A batter also has a time limit, and he or she has to enter the batter’s box within eight seconds. In case of violation, a pitcher is automatically given one ball and a batter has one strike.
For example, if a pitcher exceeds the time limit four times when there are no runners, a batter can walk away without seeing the ball once. This is why some referees said, “Now, we will get a hit even if we don’t throw the ball.”
As the new system is to be introduced, not only players but also referees who play in the KBO League have begun training for pitch clock adaptation. The KBO’s referee committee conducted pitch clock adaptation training early this month along with simulation of the use of the automatic ball determination system (ABS). The team will also continue training for adaptation at the spring camp.
The focus of the public was on ABS. A camera installed in the stadium reads balls flying over the home plate to determine whether the ball is a strike or not. There were many rumors about the referee’s uselessness and the catcher’s useless technique for framing. It drew attention because it was pitch clock, not ABS, that caused the referee to tear off the head during actual training.
“It is the fourth day of training (as of July 7) and when I experienced Peach Clock on the first day, I had no idea,” Judge Yoo Deok-hyeong, who has 12 years of experience as a referee, said with a smile. “ABS is more comfortable. When a robot makes a decision, it hears the sound and chants. However, Peach Clock was so confused that I wondered “Oh, how do I do this? I’m gradually getting used to it.”
In fact, the judges sweated a lot on adaptation training, assuming various situations that could occur when introducing pitch clock.
When the pitcher failed to throw the ball within the limited time under the assumed circumstances, the referee shouted “time over” first, warned the pitcher of “one ball,” and then turned around and beckoned “one ball” to the KBO archives again. On the contrary, when the batter couldn’t stand at the batter’s box within eight seconds and strike, he warned the batter, “One strike!”
He was also seen confused. When a pitcher checks a runner, according to ML standards, a balk is declared if a runner fails to be out in the third check. Referees seemed not to have mastered this rule yet, and discussed it head-on. The umpires also discussed whether it violates the rule to encourage a batter who does not enter the batter’s box at a time when the time limit is imminent, and whether it is included in the time limit when a ball is replaced.
“In the third check, a runner with quick feet will likely have a longer lead,” said referee Moon Seung-hoon, a 21-year veteran. “In terms of my personal opinion, Korean pitchers and batters will not be able to adapt,” another 20-year veteran referee Choi Soo-won said. “I personally think I should give more time than ML,” expressing his thoughts on Peach Clock.
Heo Woon, chairman of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), said, “We plan to confirm the details of the new regulations, such as pitch clock, as early as possible and deliver them to the field coaches and players,” adding, “We will increase the skills of referees through repeated training before the start of next season.”
Through the first winter training, referees are focusing on communicating with the measurer and applying them to different situations. The KBO plans to draw up detailed rules for the KBO related to pitch clock by collecting opinions from the judges.