(CNN) Wriggling between seats with batting gloves. Crawling in the dirt with the tip of a baseball bat. Pace – and maybe meditate – around the batter’s box.
Major League Baseball hitters used to have all the time in the world for such rituals before they felt ready and confident to face the pitchers.
But the league’s new pitch clock rules, introduced this year to speed up a game that can bleed in three hours, will result in another unintended casualty: quirky batter routines.
“It’s called a pitch timer, and that’s why when most people announced it, they thought about how it affects the pitcher,” MLB.com national reporter Anthony Castrovince told CNN.
As spring training began, the new rule appeared to be achieving its goal of speeding up games. But baseball pundits were also beginning to realize that the clock’s burden might be an adjustment for batters rather than pitchers.
“Having the batsmen not have as much time as they used to was one of the things that crept up on everyone involved because we were so focused on the pitchers,” said Neil Paine, acting sports editor at FiveThirtyEight, to CNN. “We didn’t really spend a lot of time thinking about the batters, and as it turns out, the batters seemed to have had to make as many adjustments as the pitchers.”
A pitch clock counts down during a spring training game between the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates March 6 in Tampa, Fla.
The new pitch clock rules state that a pitcher has 15 seconds to begin the motion to throw the ball when bases are empty and 20 seconds when runners are on base. If he does not succeed in doing this in time, he will be punished with a ball. However, the batsman must also be willing to walk in the batter’s box. He must face and face the pitcher with eight seconds left on the clock. If not, he will be charged with strike. The consequences became apparent early in spring training.
It was the end of the ninth inning and the bases were loaded with a full count and a tie.
Atlanta Braves’ Cal Conley had a chance to win his team against the Boston Red Sox. When the pitch clock ran out, the umpire reported a timeout and Conley made his way to first base, apparently believing the pitcher had broken the new rule.
Only the call was against Conley – he wasn’t ready in the batter’s box, eight seconds on the pitch clock. The referee called a strike and the game ended.
Much of the slow build-up on the field, for both the batter and pitcher, can be attributed to game strategy – any attempt to disrupt the opposing team’s flow. But with the new playing field rules, the mind games must be accelerated.
“It will be a faster chess game. I’ve heard some backlash from the fans about this. You’ll miss the pitcher staring at the batter and vice versa,” Castrovince said.
And for many hitters, that means adjusting their superstitions and routines as they enter the batter’s box in light of the new clock.
“Using this pitch clock and associated rules was single-handedly responsible for shaving 25 minutes of dead time at a baseball game,” Paine said. “I think that’s probably still positive in a net sense, but at the same time you lose a little bit of the other stuff.”
CNN identified four current and former players with such quirky routines and attempted to recreate their at-bat moves to see if they would break the new clock. Each re-enactment features an empty base scenario, lasting a total of 15 seconds. The dough should be ready within eight seconds.
CNN employees volunteered to mimic the movements to the best of their ability. Here’s what we found:
Nomar Garciaparra
Garciaparra is so well known for compulsively adjusting his batting gloves that MLB compiled a compilation of his pre-bat routines featuring this iconic move.
The video below shows an instance where the retired Boston Red Sox player adjusted his gloves on both hands several times, tapped the dirt twice with his left and then right toe, and took a few loose hits with his racquet before throwing focused on the pitcher.
Castrovince believes this is something that shouldn’t be too difficult to reduce.
“Hopefully most players will realize that if you haven’t even swung in last place and nothing has changed, there really isn’t a need to adjust batting mitts,” he joked.
In this case, Garciaparra spent about 10 seconds preparing for the pitch – 2 seconds too long for the new rules. He would have gotten a strike.
Check out this interactive content on CNN.com
Pablo Sandoval
During a game on June 13, 2014, Sandoval, then a San Francisco Giants player, showed several moves before stepping into the batter’s box. There was tapping the tip of the bat on his toes, scribbling in the dirt, adjusting his gloves, and slapping his shoulder, among other displays of dawdling.
“There’s less room for individuality in terms of your little routines that you go through and the moves you do, but it’s probably worth it in terms of the acceleration effect,” Paine said.
In this case, Sandoval spent more than 16 seconds preparing for the pitch – at least 6 seconds too long for the new rules. He would have gotten a strike.
Check out this interactive content on CNN.com
Trea Turner
Turner, an MLB all-star who previously played for the Washington Nationals, has shown he takes his time preparing for a hit. In an October 2019 game against the Houston Astros, Turner leisurely swings, taps the tip of his bat across home plate and swings a few times before signaling he’s ready for the court.
In this case, Turner spent about 14 seconds preparing for the field – 6 seconds too long for the new rules. He would have gotten a strike.
Check out this interactive content on CNN.com
JD Martinez
Martinez was also given the mash-up video treatment for all of his pre-pitch rituals at the plate.
In one particularly lengthy routine, Martinez, a former Boston Red Sox player, pats his heels with the bat and then blows his chest skyward with his arms at his sides before inching his way to the plate and swaying into stance .
In this case, Martinez spent more than 16 seconds preparing for the field – at least 6 seconds too long for the new rules. He would have gotten a strike.
Check out this interactive content on CNN.com
The main goal of the new pitch clock rules is to speed up the game, and it appears to be working: The average spring practice game lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes, according to The Athletic, compared to 3 hours and 1 minute last spring.
It may also prove more entertaining for viewers looking for more action. Bovada, a sports betting company, introduced prop bets for pitch clock violations during spring training.
Bovada’s head oddsmaker, Pat Morrow, told CNN that this became part of the site because the pitch clock violation is so recent.
“It’s not just about having the usual things that people could bet on … it’s the conversation starter questions surrounding those sports: What’s happening in those sports keeps them relevant even if the first pitch of the season hasn’t started yet.” ‘ said Morgen.
Morrow expects more engagement on the site at live games this season. But whether the rules will generate new fans who might be more interested in a shorter sporting event is the big question.
“While it’s great for baseball that they shaved off that 25 minutes, it’s like the difference between a Christopher Nolan movie and a regular movie,” Paine said.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of sports betting company Bovada.
Videos by Jeremy Moorhead. Animations by Taylor Su. The Routine of Nomar Garciaparra and Trea Turner by CNN’s Ben Krolowitz, The Routine of Pablo Sandoval by CNN’s Katherine Lobosco, and The Routine of JD Martinez by CNN’s Kyle Feldscher.