If you’re here, you might have noticed that Major League Baseball decided not to change its regular-season rules and stick with the pitch clock for the playoffs, a decision that some questioned as the postseason loomed.
Why keep the pitch clock when a violation might end a playoff game? Or why put pressure on pitchers and hitters when these are the games that seriously count?
I haven’t seen a full answer from MLB, but we can speculate!
First off, the average time of regular-season games was 24 minutes shorter in 2023. Shorter games were good for fans, and in the postseason — when games can feel like they take forever, despite the stakes being much higher, that might be even better for viewership.
As for the players, they might be used to things on both ends of the pitch clock — pitchers and hitters have their rhythms down, know the rules, don’t have to be in their heads while they’re in the middle of at-bats. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
For what it’s worth, there was this from ESPN about possibly ADDING time on to the clock:
Players’ arguments on behalf of adding time to the playoff pitch clock were salient. With every out in the postseason extraordinarily valuable, players not only thought they could benefit individually from the extra time but the game could breathe and allow for big moments to feel bigger. The executive council, which unilaterally controls on-field rules but must consult the competition committee, did not find the contentions compelling enough.
Alas, nope. The pitch clock rules will stay the same.
