Angels get their first taste of baseball with a clock

PEORIA, Ariz. — Jo Adell produced a couple of firsts for the Angels.

A few innings after Adell hit the Angels’ first homer of the spring Saturday, he was tagged for the team’s first timer violation.

“Just a part of it,” Adell shrugged. “It’s fine. We’ll get in the rhythm of it. There are going to be some violations here and there, but that’s part of everybody just getting with the new rules.”

Adell had stepped out of the box to gather himself after swinging at a pitch in the dirt. He stepped back in but was looking down at his feet as the timer hit seven seconds, so plate umpire Mike Muchlinski immediately called time, pointed to his wrist and pointed to Adell. The count flipped from 2-and-1 to 2-and-2.

Adell’s violation was one of four in the Angels’ 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners, a game that lasted 2 hours, 16 minutes. There was an audible gasp from the departing fans when they heard the game time announced.

Major League Baseball instituted the pitch timer this year to cut some of the dead time that had caused the average major-league game to go beyond three hours in recent years.

With the bases empty, the pitcher has 15 seconds from the time he receives the ball to begin his delivery. With any base occupied, the timer is set at 20 seconds. There are 30 seconds between hitters. The hitter must be prepared for the pitch with eight seconds on the clock.

Umpires will call an automatic ball or strike, depending whether the pitcher or hitter is in violation.

As the clock was used for the first time in major-league games Friday and Saturday, the response from most players has been positive, with the caveat that it will take some adjustment.

“Once everyone gets used to it, it’s going to be a little more relaxed and everyone’s going to be kind of back to normal, but the pitch clock will still be there so it’ll be a tick quicker,” said Angels catcher Matt Thaiss, who had played with a clock last year at Triple-A.

Thaiss said there are moments during long at-bats when it helps to be able to stop and take a breath.

“You get one timeout,” Thaiss said. “Use it wisely.”

Adell called his timeout during his first at-bat, and then he hit a homer.

Angels starter Tucker Davidson, who also pitched with the clock last year at Triple-A, said he didn’t like it at first, but he grew to appreciate the crisper games.

“You don’t have time to mentally check back out and check in,” Davidson said. “You have to be ready to go. It’s going to be an adjustment. I’m glad they gave us six weeks of spring training to figure it out.”

First baseman Jared Walsh, who will get his first experience with the timer when he makes his Cactus League debut Monday, said he is in favor of the new rule.

“I think there’s going to be a little adjustment period, but I’m assuming when every guy has the ability to get home before midnight after getting treatment and all that, guys are going to come around to it,” Walsh said. “I think the more you watch, there’s a lot of weird antics that happen. Guys have their weird routines before they get to the batter’s box and I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing that we’re getting rid of some of that, personally. To each their own.”

The “routines” include walk-up songs, which will be shortened to 10-second clips once the season begins.

“I think it just means you’ve got to pick the right part of the song,” Walsh said. “You better start exactly where you want it.”

Another adjustment to the quicker pace this season will be more pitchers using the PitchCom to call pitches themselves, rather than waiting to receive a sign from the catcher.

Manager Phil Nevin said some Angels pitchers, including Shohei Ohtani, “are experimenting” with the system in bullpen sessions.

“At the end of the day, the pitcher is calling the game,” Nevin said. “I think it could benefit a lot of us.”

WHERE’S WEAVER?

After longtime Angels pitcher Jered Weaver posted on Twitter that he was disappointed not to be one of the alumni invited as a special instructor to camp, Nevin said it wasn’t meant to be a slight to Weaver.

Nevin said he chose the special guests, and the emphasis was on players who had been a part of the 2002 World Series championship team, like Troy Percival, Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon and Troy Glaus. Albert Pujols, who is on the Angels’ payroll as a special assistant, has also been in camp this week. Nevin said he also leaned toward players who had been his teammates.

“No offense to Jered,” Nevin said. “I love him. He’s a great guy. He’s been a great Angel. It’s not something that we wouldn’t look at in the in the future. And I’ll talk to him too. I didn’t realize it was hurting people’s feelings, but I think I’ve told you before, I’m not here to make friends or keep friends. I’m here to win games and I felt like a lot of those guys from that ’02 team being out here and being my teammates, knowing who they are, I thought it was important to get them here.”

NOTES

Just about all of the expected big-leaguers who weren’t in the lineup for Saturday’s exhibition opener will be starting in Sunday’s home opener. The Angels will start outfielders Mike Trout, Hunter Renfroe and Taylor Ward, third baseman Anthony Rendon, shortstop Andrew Velazquez, second baseman Brandon Drury, first baseman Jake Lamb, catcher Logan O’Hoppe and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. First baseman Jared Walsh is scheduled to get his first Monday. Catcher Max Stassi is expected to play later in the week. …

Nevin said he won’t be putting too much stock in what happens in the early spring training games. “Obviously, we’re playing a baseball game,” Nevin said. “It’s really natural to see some things, good or bad. I just want everybody to get their feet wet, get on the ground, especially guys that have never been in big-league camp or never been in a major-league game. It’s a big thrill for them.”