Giants Pitcher Has Major Gripe With New Pitch Clock

Of all the rule changes MLB has implemented so far this season, the most controversial one is undoubtedly the pitch clock. While fans are mostly happy that the average MLB game is over half an hour shorter compared to last year, some players have pushed against the clock for speeding up the game too much.

In particular, San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Wood has a very specific complaint about the pitch clock, which he voiced via Twitter on Saturday morning.

While Wood conceded that he likes the pitch clock, he does not appreciate how it shortens special circumstances where players return to play in front of their old fans after switching teams. Fans typically applaud the player with a standing ovation in that scenario, and oftentimes the batter will step out of the box to salute his old supporters before commencing his at-bat.

With the pitch clock, however, there is no time for that. The batter must be in the box and ready to hit after eight seconds, so he can't simply step out whenever he feels like it.

Wood makes a fair point here, but overall this is a pretty minor issue. Fans can still cheer for old players when they reach base or when they take the field, so it doesn't always have to be right when an at-bat starts.

This does appear to be another unintended consequence of the pitch clock, however similar to the problem that teams are having selling fewer concessions with shorter games. Time will tell if MLB steps in to address this issue or lets it become a casualty of the new rule.