The implementation of the pitch clock in Major League Baseball for the 2023 season was met with a mix of skepticism and excitement. On one hand, baseball purists felt like commissioner Rob Manfred has been doing too much to revolutionize the game. On the other hand, some feel like baseball was dying a slow death, losing fan interest and the sport needed a new spark.
On 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, host Mike Valenti is among the latter. Valenti said Wednesday on The Valenti Show that the change in pace of play alone has made a massive impact positively.
“These games they move, which is what baseball needs,” Valenti said.
With the duration of games now averaging around two and a half hours, there’s less time to turn your attention away from the game if you’re at the stadium or following the broadcast. Valenti said quicker games has eliminated the need for radio broadcasts of games to utilize filler at some point during play.
“Listening to the game is better,” he said. “And that’s not insulting anybody, but I don’t need idle chatter. I like listening to the game.”
Mike added that the pitch clock, for better or worse, has turned out to be a solid change for the game of baseball, and more importantly, to baseball broadcasts.
“It fits. It used to be this other thing that was way over here. Now it’s fallen in line,” Valenti said. “Two and a half hours or less, I get a baseball game.”
