Digital timers are coming soon to AT&T Field.
In trying to pick up the pace, Major League Baseball is requiring its Class AAA and AA minor league affiliates to implement pitch clocks. The timing devices will be used for breaks between innings, pitching changes and individual pitch time limits.
Chattanooga Lookouts general manager Rich Mozingo received a memo about the change Wednesday. The Lookouts led all of Double-A baseball last summer with an average length of three hours and two minutes for nine-inning home games.
"I'm kind of excited about it," Mozingo said Thursday. "They used them in the Arizona Fall League this past year and had great success, and one thing we have to address is length of play."
The Arizona Fall League used a 20-second pitch clock when a base was occupied, according to Ken Rosenthal of the MLB Network, and a 12-second clock when no runners were on base. A violation resulted in a ball or a strike, depending on whether the offender was a pitcher or a batter.
Breaks between innings could last no longer than 2:05, and pitching changes could take no longer than 2:30.
Rosenthal reported via Twitter that each Triple-A and Double-A club will be responsible for hiring and paying a time operator and that the equipment will be purchased by MLB Advanced Media. Two clocks will be positioned behind home plate with another on the outfield fence.
Baseball has been wrestling with lengths of games in recent years, as an average big-league contest that averaged two hours and 30 minutes in the 1970s is now taking more than two hours and 50 minutes. Pitch clocks will not be used this year in the majors.
"Whether this will work or not I don't know, but at least we're taking a step towards it," Mozingo said. "This is the beginning to a process, so I think this is good. In three months, they will be in our ballpark."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.