Mets' Max Scherzer rants about pitch clock rule: 'Why do we have to be so anal?'
Rarely do MLB players and umpires find themselves on the same side of an argument, but that seemed to be the case in Thursday's game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
As Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was warming up before the top of the fifth inning, home plate umpire Tripp Gibson informed him he couldn't throw his eighth and final pitch because the 2-minute, 15-second timer had expired.
Scherzer, who's not one to conceal his emotions, gestured emphatically as he walked over to Gibson and after a brief discussion, threw up his arm in disgust as he returned to the mound.
“Why do we have to be so anal about this, to have the clock up everybody’s face, shoved in everybody’s face, and try to step out every little single second that’s going through the game?” Scherzer ranted to reporters following the Mets' eventual 4-2 win.
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The between-innings pitch clock was one of several new rules implemented this season to speed up the pace of games. Reviews from players and fans have been mostly positive, but Scherzer isn't a fan of the rigid way some of the rules are being enforced.
In Thursday's game, for example, his warmup time was delayed because Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez made the last out in the bottom of the fourth and needed extra time between innings to put on his equipment.
“It’s situations like that that really are frustrating for not only for pitchers, players but even the umpires,” Scherzer said.
“Tripp’s handcuffed. Why is Tripp handcuffed to not allow something normal, a normal routine, just a normal routine, why can’t Tripp make that call?” he added. “He said thank you for speaking out for the umpires because the umpires want to have that discretion. They want to allow the game to be normal. But the umpires are frustrated, as we are, that the game’s not normal, that we’re just living and dying by the clock. And so that was our conversation. I said, look, I’ll speak for you. We’re way too far thinking about the clock in every single situation instead of letting players have their normal routines.”
Scherzer put the dispute behind him, allowing two runs in seven innings and striking out a season-high nine batters to earn the win. He is now 5-2 on the season with a 3.21 ERA.