Jul. 5—Kokomo Jackrabbits pitcher Kobe Essien fired the first pitch at 7:04 pm against the visiting Kenosha Kingfish on June 9.
Before an hour had passed, three full innings were in the books. That included a 4-run bottom of the third for the Jackrabbits.
Two 20-second clocks — one in the outfield, another behind home plate — counted down between each pitch.
The game moved right long.
By 8:45 pm, it was time for the seventh-inning stretch.
“Is it already? Good grief,” one fan remarked as they stood up for the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
This is baseball in the Northwoods League this year. Games are finishing soon. The pace of play is faster.
The Northwoods League, a summer college wood bat league, is the first league of its kind to institute a pitch clock. The move follows in the footsteps of Minor League Baseball and the NCAA, both of which already use pitch clocks.
At the college level, pitch clocks are not on the field. The time between pitches is kept by the umpire. Visible pitch clocks will be instituted at all levels of NCAA play by 2025.
Major League Baseball implemented a pitch clock this season.
In the Northwoods League, pitchers have 20 seconds to throw a pitch. The clock starts when the pitcher has the ball and is on the mound. The umpire gives the cue to start the clock.
If a pitcher does not deliver a pitch within 20 seconds the umpire issues a ball to the batter. Conversely, a batter who is not ready and in the box will be issued a strike.
“We want to help them prepare for the next season,” said Ryan Voz, president of the Northwoods League. “If we can help players adjust, why not? We’d rather be on the front end of things instead of joining the group.”
The goal is to shorten the length of games and maintain pace.
And it’s working.
Jackrabbits games this year are averaging less than three hours. In previous seasons, games usually took three hours or more, often dragging on in the event of poor pitching or long innings.
“The only reason you can tell a difference is because the clock is counting down,” said Nathan Martin, general manager of the Kokomo baseball club. “We haven’t seen it impact the outcome of the game.”
Martin hopes quicker games result in more people coming out to Kokomo Municipal Stadium this summer.
Players told the Tribune the changes make for an adjustment but haven’t altered how they approach the game.
For outfielder Nolan Christianson, adjusting to the pitch clock this summer has been easier compared to playing at Dordt University, an NAIA school in Iowa.
A pitch clock is enforced at the NAIA level but not every stadium has an on-field clock.
“It’s a lot harder than here, where you can see it,” Christianson said. “I kinda like it. I like having less time for thinking [at the plate].”
For slow-working pitchers, 20 seconds isn’t much time, but for quicker paced throwers the clock hasn’t made much of a difference.
“I’m just ready to get the ball and get back on the rubber,” said Jackrabbits pitcher Justin Drury.
The Hope International University (California) product did say controlling the running game is a little different.
“I like holding runners, I love being able to sit there and keep a runner’s feet still,” Drury said.
With the clock, there’s a limit to how long a pitcher can hold on to the ball. It’s one way leagues are trying to encourage the stolen base and more action in the game.
Another way is limiting pick-offs, however that hasn’t made its way to the Northwoods League yet.
The clock has added a level of gamesmanship. Pitchers can quickly pitch a batter, as long as both are ready and the clock is running. They can also hold on to the ball until the final seconds, daring the batter to call time — the equivalent of a staring contest.
“There are advantages to the pitch clock you can use to help yourself,” Martin said.
A timer in baseball was met with some resistance, but the pitch clock has won over plenty, including baseball purists.
Jackrabbits coach Johnston Hobbs is one of them.
“You’re not really missing any baseball, just downtime,” he said.
As a baseball coach, one must constantly think ahead. With a clock, even more so.
“We really have to plan ahead, as far as pitching goes,” Hobbs said.
The Northwoods League limits mound visits to 30 seconds. Gone are the days of the slow walk to the mound and drawn-out conversation to buy a few extra warm-up pitches for guys in the bullpen. The clock starts as soon as the coach crosses the foul line.
“Unless you know what to say, 30 seconds isn’t a lot of time,” Hobbs said.
Teams have 2 minutes and 30 seconds for pitching changes. There are 2 minutes and 15 seconds between innings.
Jackrabbits pitcher Jesus Gonzalez sat down the Kingfish in order in the top of ninth, securing a 5-0 win. The clock read 9:24 pm Time of game: 2 hours and 20 minutes.
“When you have 72 games in 76 days, you want them to go as quickly as possible,” Hobbs said.
Marathon games are far and few between nowadays in the Northwoods League, but they’re not extinct.
The night before the Jackrabbits’ crisp 2-hour and 20-minute game against Kenosha, the two teams played for nearly four hours in a 14-13 extra-inning win for the Kingfish.
Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.