Wandy Peralta made his 2023 spring training debut on Thursday, and looked like he has been going against a pitch clock forever.
Wandy Peralta of the New York Yankees during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 20, 2023, in Tampa, Florida. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
The lefty had the chance to use up all 15 seconds for each pitch – yet he only needed about five per pitch.
Facing Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano in the bottom of the second, Peralta threw three strikes in about 20 seconds to end the inning.
The changes come after test drives in the minor leagues, where MLB says games have been shortened by an average of 26 minutes. Through Tuesday's games, the average game this spring has taken two hours and 39 minutes – 22 minutes shorter than last year's 3:01.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference, March 1, 2022, at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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Of course, the pitch clock hasn't come without some controversy – a game on Friday ended in a tie with the bases loaded and two outs because a batter wasn't set in the batter's box on time – batters have eight seconds to be set.
Manny Machado became the first victim of the pitch clock rules last week. He was not set in time and immediately fell into an 0-1 hole.
"I'm gonna have to make a big adjustment. I might be 0-1 down a lot this year," Machado said afterward. "It's super fast. There's definitely an adjustment it's gonna be."
Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres bats against the Los Angeles Angels during spring training game on March 23, 2022, in Peoria, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Last season, Major League games lasted three hours and three minutes on average, and the average length hasn't been under three hours since 2015 (2:56). You have to go back to 1978 for the last time the average game took less than 2½ hours.