Skip to the content
LatestWhat the New York State Athletic Commission does, and why it matters for fightersHow instant-replay challenges work in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHLIcing and offside in hockey: what the linesman is actually calling

Home/Baseball & Hockey/The MLB pitch clock: how many seconds a pitcher has and what a violation costs

The MLB pitch clock: how many seconds a pitcher has and what a violation costs

Rules reference

Updated

Independent desk. Figures are traced to named sources and corrections are logged — see the editorial policy.

Fifteen seconds with the bases empty, a shorter allowance with runners on, and an automatic ball or strike for whoever breaks the rule.

By NY Sports Express Desk · Published September 17, 2026

Atlanta Braves pitcher Matt Wisler throws the first pitch of the game against the Miami Marlins at Fort Bragg Field, Fort Bragg, N.C. on Sunday, July 3, 2016. F
Photo: Staff Sgt. Jason Duhr / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

The pitch clock arrived in the majors in 2023 and is the most visible change to how baseball is played in a generation. It is simple in principle: the pitcher has a fixed number of seconds to start the delivery, and the batter has a fixed number of seconds to be ready.

The countdown

  • Bases empty: the pitcher must begin the pitch within 15 seconds of getting the ball.
  • Runners on base: the allowance was 20 seconds in 2023 and was reduced to 18 seconds from 2024.
  • The batter: must be in the box and alert with eight seconds left.

What a violation costs

A pitcher who exceeds the time is charged an automatic ball. A batter who is not ready in time is charged an automatic strike. Because balls and strikes accumulate, a violation can be the difference in a count, and a violation on a full count ends the at-bat with a walk or a strikeout.

Limits on disengagements

A pitcher is allowed two "disengagements" per plate appearance, meaning a pickoff throw or a step-off the rubber. A third is allowed only if it retires the runner; if not, the runner is awarded a base on a balk. This rule is the reason base-stealing increased after the clock arrived: a pitcher can no longer hold a runner indefinitely.

Between batters and innings

There is a 30-second limit between batters, and break time between innings is two minutes for most games and a little longer for nationally televised ones. Each team is limited to a fixed number of mound visits per game, and a batter may call a limited number of timeouts.

What it did to game length

MLB reported that the average nine-inning game fell from about 3 hours 4 minutes in 2022 to about 2 hours 40 minutes in 2023, the shortest average since the early 1980s. That is the rule's purpose, and the figures are published by the league.

Sources

From other sections