Devers is first victim of new rules for hitters

The new rules implemented by Major League Baseball (MLB) have generated diverse opinions, but what is certain is that a new era in modern baseball has already begun.

Officially, Opening Day has already begun to be played, among other things, with the stopwatch that will aim to speed up games and shorten their duration.

During Thursday’s Opening Day, Boston Red Sox shortstop Rafael Devers was the first batter to fall victim to the new rules.

In the eighth inning of the Red Sox’ season-opening game against the Baltimore Orioles, Rafael Devers struck out after receiving an automatic third strike for not being ready in the batter’s box, exceeding the eight-second limit from the time the pitcher receives the ball.

In the broadcast of the game it could be seen how Devers was still preparing to run his turn and at the six-second mark the plate umpire, Lance Barksdale, made the violation call and automatically struck out the Red Sox player.

The Dominican third baseman faced Orioles pitcher Bryan Baker, who threw only four pitches, three foul and one ball out of the zone. The Red Sox were defeated 10-9.

During practice on February 25, Manny Machado, another Dominican player, was the first to be punished by an umpire for not being ready at the designated time and received an automatic strike.

In the case of pitchers, Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs was the first to be punished in 2023 by umpires under the new pitch clock rule.

The pitch clock is just one of the new regulations for the 2023 Major League Baseball season that include limitations on base running, defensive shifts, position player pitching and a new size for bases.