Pitch clock violations haven’t been much of an issue during the first week of the season, but we had our first blowup in Tuesday’s game between the Padres and the Diamondbacks.
Manny Machado struck out in the first inning due to an inning ending-pitch clock violation, and was then thrown out after arguing the decision. Machado was in the box but clearly not ready as he messed with his gloves. He may have been asking for a timeout that was not given. Video appeared to show which inappropriate phrase proved to be the tipping point.
The new pitch clock rules stipulate that the batter must be in the box and ready to go after seven seconds. The batter is supposed to get one timeout per at bat, so either Machado didn’t ask for it loud enough, or the umpire decided not to award it.