The baseball pitch clock rules continue to stir controversy in the MLB. The league recently decided they would not make any significant alterations to the rules in place already, despite pressure from players and organizations alike to do so.
The league plans to continue with the current parameters of the pitch clock, set to 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base (plus the hitter being alerted in the batter's box with eight seconds remaining).
Quizzed on what makes players conscious about the clock, New York Mets pitcher Mark Scherzer simply replied:
"Every pitch, I mean you are looking at this at every pitch. So, that's just reality. There isn't a moment you can take your eyes of the clock," Sherzer was quoted saying.
Baseball fans quickly pounced on the Mets' ace on Twitter, unleashing their rancor on both Scherzer and the Mets organization for constantly complaining.
Excuses or not, Scherzer had a rather underwhelming first season with the New York Mets after signing a mega three-year, $130 million contract.
Max Scherzer is tied for the most immaculate innings pitched in MLB
Selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 11th overall pick of the 2006 amateur draft, Scherzer made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2008. He won the World Series Championship with the Washington Nationals in 2019, arguably the biggest scalp of his storied career. He is also an eight-time All-Star and three-time winner of the Cy Young Award.
Scherzer holds a couple of intriguing MLB records that include the most strikeouts in a 9-inning game and the most immaculate innings pitched.
"Max Scherzer pulls off the third immaculate inning of his career," The Sporting News, Twitter.
Nicknamed "Mad Max" (after the fictional movie character for his intensity and competitiveness on the field), Scherzer has cemented his place in history as one of the greatest pitchers ever to grace the game.