Stop complaining about the Pitch Clock
Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen made headlines for coming out and saying that the pitch clock is leading to more pitcher injuries. Jansen isn’t the only one, with numerous different pitchers coming out against the pitch clock. Mainly citing increased injuries as their main argument.
The only problem with that argument is that it’s not true. Let’s look at the data, shall we?
Last year there were 69 pitchers who spent a total of 1,138 days on the IL, whereas, in 2023, there have been 72 total pitchers who spent 1,132 days on the IL. Hmmm, I don’t know about you, but an increase of three injuries hardly signals a serious issue in terms of pitcher health.
The only injury that has seen an increase has been injuries to the elbow which jumped from 13 pitchers to 22, but every other injury has either stayed the same or in most cases even gone down. So my question now becomes, what are these players actually complaining about?
If you don’t like the pitch clock because you are struggling to adapt to the timing of it all, then just say that. You certainly wouldn’t be alone, as many pitchers are still struggling to find a grove with the new pitch clock.
But to just come out and basically lie just because you don’t like the rule won’t fly with me and you will be called out for it. Also, let’s just say that arm injuries have increased, do you think it could be in part to just how hard these guys are throwing the ball now? Arm injuries have increased years before the pitch clock arrived because, surprise surprise, throwing the ball harder with more spin increases the likelihood of an injury. I know right, such a crazy concept to think about.
On the other hand, the pitch clock up to this point has done exactly what MLB wanted. That being shortening the average time of an MLB game which used to sit at over three hours long. The average time for a game is two hours a 38 minutes long. Which is a lot closer to the other big sports that have been dominating MLB viewership for the past decade.
Whether you like it or not, the pitch clock is here to stay. You can not like it because you are more old school and want to see the sport die, or that you just don’t believe it’s natural within the world of baseball. But if you are going to try and say that it’s dangerous for pitchers and causes more injuries, all I ask is that you please do your research.
These guys are professionals making hundreds of millions of dollars and they can’t throw a pitch before 15 seconds? Come on now, that’s bullshit and we all know it. The pitch clock isn’t leading to more injuries and if you believe that, then I truly feel sorry for you.
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