VIDEO: ROCKIES VS. NATS GAME ENDS WITH PITCH CLOCK VIOLATION
MLB players have quickly adjusted to the game's pitch clock. After some early setbacks when introduced in 2023, fans can often watch an entire game without noticing the timer.
That was until it ended Saturday night's matchup between the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals.
Washington took a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Kyle Finnegan, who entered the game with a 1.72 ERA and 21 saves, allowed four consecutive singles without recording an out.
Colorado loaded the bases after scoring the game-tying run. Ryan McMahon, already 3-for-4 with a home run on Saturday, came up to the plate with a chance to give the Rockies a comeback win.
With the count full, McMahon tried to hold his swing on a pitch that appeared just a bit over the inside corner. The Rockies might have still won on a walk had the pitch counted, but they instead made history with the first-ever walk-off pitch clock violation.
Finnegan fired the pitch after the timer reached zero, so the umpire called an infracture that caused the game-winning run to score. Here's a look at the final sequence, courtesy of The Comeback:
Finnegan took accountability for his mistake after the game.
"I'm just trying to focus on the pitch and then location," Finnegan said, per an Associated Press report. "I thought I picked up the clock. I guess by the time I picked up and looked at the catcher and delivered the pitch, I was just a hair too late. Those situations, it just can't happen. We deserved to win, and I wasn't able to do my job."
MLB reduced the original 20-second timer to 18 seconds in 2024. Saturday represented the year's most noteworthy pitch clock incident.
"You hate to see a game decided that way, but I'm happy it worked out in our favor," McMahon said. "I'm never looking [at the clock]. I'm letting the umpire do his job. I didn't know what was going on until the umpire said something."
The bitter ending cost the Nationals a chance to break .500, but they remain in the thick of a widely competitive National League wild-card race. Outside of the 27-50 Rockies and 26-50 Miami Marlins, every NL team is no more than three games removed from a playoff spot.
2024-06-23T15:15:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd