Pittsburgh Pirates: Rich Hill, Reaction to New Pitch Clock

The Pittsburgh Pirates along with all the other teams across Major League Baseball have a new rule to abide by. How are veterans adapting to it?

The implementation of the new pitch clock has been a great addition to the game. Yes, things have changed, but in no way shape, or form has the game become less exciting. That is what it comes down to for me is that it is hard to look away from the game. The feeling of watching the game just seems different to me as well, just more anticipation.

While I may like the change not everyone does. Of course, I am not as traditional of a long-time fan as some, but to each of their own. Not everyone is going to be on board, especially when it is something new. It is okay to not like every change the League is going to make, but also it is important to create a better quality product. This has been a complaint among fans in general, having a more watchable game. At least the League is trying to be proactive in its search to improve the game.

The game of Baseball has been slowly bleeding in terms of viewership, they need to try and make it more watchable for the casual fan. The casual fan is important, there are more casual fans watching than die-hard fans. Without the casual fan, Major League Baseball goes from a giant of the sports world to a League struggling to figure it out like the NHL.

However, as I said not everyone is on board with the changes. It is not just some fans who are not necessarily into the rule change, but also some veteran players. On Saturday, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Rich Hill had his first clock violation. The 42-year-old veteran

Hill went on after the game to talk about how he feels that the pitch clock could affect the game itself. He sites that players are being asked to play in a different way than ever before. This in turn then is changing their career paths. Jason Mackey tweeted what Hill said:

I tend to agree with Hill. I think like any new rule things are not going to be perfect right away. Now is the time for them to expirement and get players' actual thoughts, like Hill's. Hill has been around the game for a long time. He clearly seems open to the idea of trying to implement this but wants there to be more of a middle ground.

To be honest, 5 more seconds should be doable. The pitchers do seem a bit more rushed than I anticipate and being a former pitcher sometimes you need that extra second between pitches to take a breath. Hopefully, MLB and the Union can find a way to make everyone happy with this rule.