The 15-Second Rule
In an effort to get the average time of games down under three hours, NPB has decided to introduce a new rule requiring pitchers to deliver each pitch within 15 seconds. This is part of NPB’s Green Baseball Project, in which the league is trying to do it’s part for the environment by cutting down on energy expenditures associated with playing games. A noble goal with a laughable logo.
This rule change hasn’t gone over well with the players:
Nippon Ham ace Yu Darvish: “That’s not baseball”.
2008 Sawamura Award winner Hisashi Iwakuma: “Darvish is correct. Even now our time is pressed. If the time is going to be compressed, they should be thorough and widen the strike zone. This is how we make our living”.
Rakuten manager Katsuya Nomura: “to have a rule for that is nonsense. Baseball has always been a sport without a time limit. The fans pay a lot of money to come to the ballpark, so we should be in the park as much as possible”.
Darvish again: “I’m not going to take any kind of action. I’ll ignore it.”
Commissioner Ryozo Kato: “you’re pros so get used to it”.
Kyuji Fujikawa was the first take a hit from the new rule, taking three balls in his first spring training practice game appearance. Gotta take the players’ side on this one. I hope this rule doesn’t make it out of spring training.
11/02/2009 at 2:12 pm Permalink
To clarify that: even with runners on base?
I think MLB has a similar rule they just don’t care about it.
11/02/2009 at 3:14 pm Permalink
I believe the rule only applies with runners on base.
11/02/2009 at 7:57 pm Permalink
I think its time for a rule like this. Yu Darvish can’t throw a pitch in 15 seconds? Really? Holding onto the ball is considered entertainment these days? We sure could use this rule in the KBO. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game under 3 1/2 hours.
11/02/2009 at 10:26 pm Permalink
The average NPB game time was around 3:06 minutes last year. I wonder if there’s a rule about how many times the batter is allowed to step out of the box. I tend to enjoy short, well-pitched games the most, but I wonder if assessing a ball for every 15-second violation won’t backfire.
12/02/2009 at 3:01 am Permalink
If I remember correctly in the MLB the pitcher has 15 seconds after he gets the ball (and the batter is in the batter’s box) to make his pitch. But only if there are no runners on base. Matsuzaka is famous for dragging the game and taking much time. Last year once I tried to see if he violated the rule and he did but only on a few occasions while he almost always kept it under 15 seconds. I think this rule shouldn’t be a problem for pitchers. On the other hand I think they should also limit time and stepping out of the batter’s box as a signal that batters should do their part too.
If this rule is also used when there are runners on base it gets kind of unfair. Does a pickoff or a hinted pickoff count as a pitch delivered? When it’s like the play clock in football base runners get also an advantage because they know when a pitch has to be delivered at latest. And if it’s a rule then enforce it strictly. Nothing bothers me more about the MLB rule than that’s it is in place but no one cares about it. Like some umps who don’t call balks because they don’t understand the rule.
12/02/2009 at 6:02 am Permalink
From what I’ve read in Nikkan Sports (dead tree version), it’s 15 seconds when there are no base runners. So this won’t do much to pitchers like Hanshin’s Andoh who, with runners on base, average one pitch per minute at best.
The main complaint is that “baseball is a thinking man’s sport,” and it takes time to decide on which pitch to throw. For Darvish, he’s found that if he shakes off two signs, he’s over the limit. There’s no time to think.