“I can totally dictate pace,” Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is loving new rules implemented in MLB this year
Max Scherzer 'loves' the new rule changes in MLB which he feels to the advantage of the pitchers.
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Credits: MLB
New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer is definitely enjoying the new rules implemented in MLB this year. Describing these rules as a “cat and mouse game”, Scherzer now feels that he can finally have control as a pitcher with the newly placed pitch clock.
Speaking about the same, he says, “Really, the power the pitcher has now-I can totally dictate pace.” The 3x Cy Young Award recipient is very much enjoying the new dynamics between the pitcher and the hitter. Scherzer also adds that he is learning to fiddle around with the pitch clock and use this new rule to his absolute advantage.
This season, the pitch clock is one of the new rules introduced alongside limits on infield shifts and larger bases. Through these new rules, MLB is expecting improvement in the pace of games and encourage more action amongst the players.
Related: “It never gets old,” Aaron Judge expresses gratitude after wholesome welcome in training debut
Max Scherzer and several other MLB players applaud the new MLB rule changes
The new rule changes, however initially seen with contentions, has become quite popular amongst the players. One of the latest players to appreciate these new rules is Mets pitcher Max Scherzer. Describing the same, he says, “The rule change of the hitter having only one timeout changes the complete dynamic of the hitter-and-pitcher dynamic. Yeah, I love it.”
In the Spring Training match against Washington, the Mets pitcher held the ball for 10 seconds before delivering his pitch to Michael Chavis. Chavis, the second hitter in the second inning eventually stepped out of the box as he felt Scherzer was taking too long to pitch.
Scherzer further adds, “I can work extremely quick. And I can work extremely slow. There’s another layer here to be able to mess with the hitter’s timing. I can come set even before the hitter’s in the box. I can’t pitch. But as soon as his eyes are up, I can go. If his eyes are up with 12 seconds to go, I can fire.”
Its not like the hitters are complaining about this new change and the ability for pitchers to play mind games against them. New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge is all praise for the new rule changes as well. He says, “I like it. I think you can kind of play around with it a little bit. I think it definitely speeds up the game. Anything that kind of keeps the pitcher moving and on the go, and hopefully to keep him out of breath, I’m looking forward to it.”
Furthermore, even Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman thinks that this rule can be advantageous to both pitchers and hitters. Speaking about how hitters can make the best out of these new rules, he says, “There’s a way for us to make it an advantage for us. We’ve just got to figure out what that is, right? Whether it’s like, do we wait until one second to throw the pitch? Or do we want to throw it super quick? So that they’re thinking, like, ‘I can’t try to time it up,’ right?”
The new rule changes continues to be implemented in the Spring Training games currently and will soon be seen on play when the official MLB season starts in less than a month.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)