Fastest strikeout ever? Maybe!
New York Yankees pitcher Wandy Peralta struck out Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano on three pitches in just 20 seconds on Thursday, showing how fast an at-bat can take place with Major League Baseball’s new pitch clock.
The left-handed Peralta got a called strike one on his first pitch and Marcano fouled off the second before Peralta got the hitter looking at strike three.
Under the new rules, pitchers are required to begin their motion within 15 seconds with the bases empty or within 20 seconds with runners on base.
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Through the first four full days of 2023 spring training games with the new rules, the average game time of 2 hours, 39 minutes – down nearly 20 minutes from the 2:57 through a similar sample through four days of 2022 spring training.
Fans on Twitter were quick to compare Thursday’s 20-second at-bat to other pitchers taking their sweet time on the mound in years’ past.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees’ Wandy Peralta strikes out Pirates hitter in 20 seconds
