Phillies

The Phillies’ MVP Might Be the Pitch Clock Operator

By Kyle Pagan

Published: Jun 9th, 2023 · 2:11 PM EDT

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The Phillies have a 10th man on the diamond at CBP. Matt Gelb at The Athletic (with ads) did a deep dive into the speed of the pitch clock after Aaron Nola complained about it Monday night:

Nola revealed what has become a prevailing conspiracy theory within the Phillies clubhouse. It sounded a little wild. How would the pitch clock be quicker at Citizens Bank Park than anywhere else?

“It just seems a lot faster, you know?” righty Taijuan Walker said. “You just got the ball and you look up and there’s only 10 seconds left.”

“Our clock?” veteran utilityman Josh Harrison said. “The fastest.”

It is, but there are objective ways of measuring it. And the data, so far, supports their theories: There have been more timer violations per game at Citizens Bank Park this season than any other major-league ballpark, according to research by STATS Perform. The data was compiled through Wednesday’s games.

The number of violations here is such an outlier that the gap between Citizens Bank Park and the stadium with the second-most is the same as the difference between second and 10th place. The numbers could even out over time but, right now, it is statistically significant.

The pitching staff is 17-10 at home, giving up two fewer earned runs than on the road and a 1.134 WHIP. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have both taken no hitters into the 7th since they got back to town. Taijuan Walker found his command Tuesday night and the Tigers only scored five runs during this series.

Me to the pitch clock operator:

angry guy on airplane | i wanna shake your hand pic.twitter.com/v6i4AciY77

— r e a c t i o n s (@Reactions_vids) October 28, 2022

The Phillies are concerned though:

The Phillies, according to team sources, submitted concerns to the league office more than a month ago. MLB officials said they would investigate. They told the Phillies they found some inconsistencies in how the timer was operated and that it would be addressed. It’s unclear if that happened.

Fellas. Let the pitch clock operator cook. Rob Manfred isn’t slowing the game down. In fact, the dude probably got a raise and he might get his own fan group at the stadium if the winning keeps up. The Fundials? The Clock’s Mocks? Where everyone dresses up in a mock turtleneck and wears the clock chain Flava Flav wore. How about the TimeKeepers and everyone dresses in Quidditch robes like Harry Potter. Probably too dorky. These suck. It’s Friday. Lay off me. Think of one on your own. I got the ball rolling.