Padres' Manny Machado Ejected After Arguing Strikeout from Pitch-Clock Violation

MLB players are still getting used to the advent of the pitch clock, and one star fell victim to the rule change Tuesday.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado struck out because of a pitch-clock violation and was ejected for arguing the call in the first inning of the team's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Machado, who was starting at designated hitter for the Padres, had attempted to call time but was denied by home plate umpire Ron Kulpa. He was called for a third strike due to the violation.

Through the early part of the 2023 season, pitch-clock violations have taken a bit of a toll on players. Opening Day saw 14 violations in 15 games, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press. However, the desired effect of quicker games was immediately apparent, as Cohen noted that "average game time shrunk 26 minutes to 2 hours, 45 minutes."

During the New York Mets' game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, pitcher Carlos Carrasco was called for a clock violation before he even threw his first pitch. The Mets actually registered more violations (four) than hits (three) in the 10-0 loss.

MLB instituted a pitch clock this offseason. Pitchers have 15 seconds to get the ball to home plate, and that number is increased to 20 seconds with runners on base. Batters are supposed to be in the box with at least eight seconds left on the clock—which was Machado's misstep—and they are permitted to call time once per plate appearance to stop the countdown.

The Padres star will certainly be more attentive to the rules the next time he's in the lineup.