Cubs’ Cody Bellinger got a pitch-clock violation for soaking in ovation from LA fans
The introduction of the pitch clock has reduced the time of Major League Baseball games by 30 minutes this season, and fans have mostly welcomed the change.
But there was one odd pitch-clock moment Friday.
The Cubs played the Dodgers in Los Angeles and Chicago outfielder Cody Bellinger received a nice ovation from the home crowd. Bellinger is in his first season with the Cubs after six seasons with the Dodgers.
When he stepped to the plate, Bellinger soaked in the love but wasn’t ready to bat with 8 seconds on the pitch clock. And so the home-plate umpire gave Bellinger a pitch-clock violation and started the count at 0-1.
“I was surprised, but rules are rules at the end of the day,” Bellinger told reporters after the game. “So once I got dinged, I just locked it in and was just competing from there.”
Bellinger’s agent wasn’t so understanding. Scott Boras told the Los Angeles Times he called Major League Baseball deputy commissioner Dan Halem to express displeasure with the violation.
“I called and said, ‘Why do we not have provisions for this?’ And he goes, ‘We do,” Boras told Mike DiGiovanna. “It’s umpire discretion, and normally the clubs notify the umpires beforehand if they have any kind of special things.
“(Dodgers manager Dave Roberts) was even screaming from the dugout, ‘Hey, give him some time!’ You have the opposing manager trying to make sure a player is appropriately welcomed. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Why are you not doing that?’ Unreal.”
