Ohtani Shohei (Angels), who wrote the record for the first ever ‘one-game two-hit pitch clock violation’, is about to change. He tried a new form that reduced left foot movement on the catch ball.
On the 6th (Korean time), Ohtani appeared as a starting pitcher in the third hitter against Seattle Marinos and helped the team win 4-3. He gave up 1 run in 6 innings as a pitcher and 1 hit and 1 RBI in 2 at-bats as a hitter, playing an active role both on the mound and at the plate. He also wrote a record. He violated the pitch clock as a pitcher in the first inning and as a batter in the sixth. In one game, both the pitcher and the hitter became the protagonists of a unique record of committing pitch clock violations. 메이저놀이터
Perhaps due to the violation of the pitch clock, Ohtani played catch in a different form during training on the 9th. Sports Nippon, who watched Ohtani’s catch ball that day, reported, “I tried a new form in which I start with my left foot down once. It is a form commonly used in major leagues such as Jacob deGrom (Texas), but Ohtani is trying it for the first time.”
The MLB secretariat introduced a pitch clock system to speed up the game tempo from this year. The pitcher must pitch within 15 seconds without runners and within 20 seconds with runners present. The batter must look at the pitcher and prepare to hit before the pitch clock runs out within 8 seconds. If the pitcher violates, the ball automatically goes up, and if the batter violates, the strike automatically goes up. Whether it’s a 3-ball situation or a 2-strike situation, there’s no doubt.
To prevent a recurrence, Ohtani answered the question by asking the referee about the timing of applying the pitch clock during the game on the 6th. Even after the game, he went to the referee’s office to reconfirm the standards.
As a pitcher, the pitch clock violation was a ‘quick pitch’. Ohtani started pitching with the understanding that the pitch clock would start when he put his hand into his glove from set position. The pitch clock had 13 seconds left in the 20 seconds. However, the referee pointed out that the batter started pitching in a situation where he had not finished preparing to hit.
Manager Phil Nevin explained that Ohtani did not pitch using the rule, saying, “Some pitchers tried to use this rule to control the pace. But Ohtani was not like that.” Ohtani is looking for his own solution with a new pitching form ahead of his start against Washington on the 12th.
