“If you’re not ready, don’t do it.”
That’s what Hanwha Eagles head coach Choi Won-ho said about his experience with PitchClock during the trial.
ABS and PitchClock were the hot topics of the exhibition game. The two systems, which the KBO announced ahead of this season, are ambitiously designed to end umpiring disputes and speed up the game. ABS, which has been piloted in the Futures (second division) league in recent years, will be introduced for the first time in the world this season, while PitchClock will be adapted from the U.S. Major League Baseball’s system last year to suit Korean conditions.
ABS and PitchClock have shown off their skills through two trial games. The hype is building. ABS has been a mixed bag for batters who were expected to benefit from it. PitchClock was riddled with warnings on its first day. 바카라사이트 Even though the warnings are not penalties, players are feeling the pressure. “In the past, I would take a breath after seeing the pitch and step into the batter’s box, but when I see the pitch clock in front of me, I can’t help but feel rushed,” said Kia’s Na Sung-beom. “It’s a verbal warning with no penalty, but even if you think, ‘I did something wrong,’ you can’t help but be cautious. If you get rushed, it breaks your routine and affects the whole game.”
It’s not just the players who are concerned.
“Currently, the KBO League’s pitch clock is being implemented without a pitchcom (a machine that can automatically deliver a sign via a button), and I have doubts about implementing the system without proper conditions,” Choi said. “When I talked to Ryu Hyun-jin, who experienced PitchClock in the U.S., he said that the time is much faster with PitchCom, and there is no problem with PitchClock. He said, ‘How do you do pitch clock without PitchCom?’ “ABS has been piloted in the Futures League, but PitchCom is not. Teams that have had spring training in the U.S. have had experience with it, but what about the rest of the world?” he adds. “I’ve also heard that Pitchcom doesn’t have the right frequency, even though they want to introduce it,” he said, adding, “It feels like they’re rushing to introduce it.”
Choi is not alone in his concerns about PitchClock. Doosan’s Kim Tae-hyung and KT’s Lee Kang-cheol have expressed similar concerns. “We had a meeting last winter where we decided not to talk about PitchClock,” Kim said, adding, 토토사이트 추천 “I don’t think it makes sense in baseball to have a limited number of pitches. It’s something that should be discussed on the field and not done,” he criticized. “If you’re not going to do it (in the regular season), I hope you don’t do it. Even if they don’t do it, it makes pitchers psychologically conscious because they see the seconds,” he said.