This period was selected because it represents the period for which reliable PITCHf/x data are available, which is used to measure pace. To examine this idea I examined Pace data from FanGraphs for the 2008-2014 seasons. Is there something driving a pitcher's pace? Could it be that the number of pitches in a pitcher's repertoire has an effect? Specifically, I wanted to test the hypothesis that pitchers with more pitches in their repertoire will be slower because they have more pitch options to consider before delivering to the batter. Moreover, the old adage that pitchers who work quickly help their defense stay alert and perform better does not find supporting evidence, as pace does not seem to influence defensive efficiency or batting average on balls in play (BABIP).ĭespite the lack of direct influence on performance, the consistency of a pitcher's pace remains interesting. However, pace does not have a clear influence on measures of pitching performance such as fielding independent pitching (FIP) or win probability added (WPA). Interestingly, as Carl Bialik at FiveThirtyEight showed, a pitcher's pace is considerably consistent from year to year. With the time between pitches being clearly in violation of the rule, a lot of blame for the slow pace of baseball games has been placed on pitchers. Despite the average time between pitches being consistently over 20 seconds, an umpire has yet to enforce this rule. If the pitcher violates this rule the umpire is supposed to call a ball. One fix that is commonly proposed is for umpires to actually enforce Official Rule 8.04, which states that when the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher should deliver a pitch to the batter within 12 seconds of receiving the ball back from the catcher. This has led people to examine the pace issue in greater depth and propose ways to speed up the game (like here and here). Much of this renewed interest has been generated from the delays that result from replay. Recently, the issue of the pace of Major League Baseball games has received increased attention.
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