Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury is a passionate sports fan who reports on various kinds of industry news. In the following article, Maciulewski discusses Major League Baseball’s spring training and upcoming season outlook.
The MLB spring training is almost as old as the game, and to this day it remains a much-loved part of the year for fans across the country.
From a dog catching a home run ball to the introduction of the pitch clock to the upcoming season’s predictions, fans who didn’t catch the 2023 spring training session will certainly want to take a look at the latest here.
Dog Catches a Home Run Ball During Spring Training Game
Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury reports that most every fan knows the “Bark in the Park” ballpark promotion, where pro teams let dog owners bring their furry friends to certain games throughout the season. It’s a much-appreciated addition to every spring training session, but 2023’s was quite the spectacle — in a never-before-seen outcome, somebody’s precious pooch caught the home run ball!
The spring training game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals saw a canine clinch the home run ball launched by LA’s second baseman, Michael Busch. Upon sailing over the wall, the ball was retrieved by a gorgeous pup whose owner was wearing a Dodgers jersey with the apt number “K-9” on the back.
Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury reports that the game was one of the last spring training games for both teams before the season starts on Thursday, March 30.
J.T. Realmuto Ejected from Spring Training Game for The Strangest Reason
Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury says that during Philadelphia’s exhibition game against the Blue Jays on Monday, March 27, J.T. Realmuto was ejected for seemingly no good reason.
The Phillies catcher was thrown from the game by umpire Randy Rosenberg for moving his glove at what was apparently an inopportune moment while not looking at Rosenberg.
Onlookers saw that Realmuto moved his glove when Rosenberg tried to drop a ball into it. However, Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury explains that this was most likely because the catcher noticed that Craig Kimbrel, the pitcher, already had a ball.
Despite this innocent action, it appears the umpire believed Realmuto was trying to antagonize him with this movement. And yes, the ejection blazed through social media, with fans ecstatic at this unbelievable turn of events.
Realmuto took the ejection in stride, though.
The Pitch Clock Cutting Almost Half an Hour from Games
Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury reports that the implementation of a pitch clock into the MLB circuit seems to be working wonders for adding more action to games — during 35 spring training games, the average length came down to 2 hours and 37 minutes, in comparison to the previous 3 hours and 1 minute.
The all-new clock appears to even be shortening games with high runs and lots of action, with only a few passing the three-hour mark.
Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury notes that only 6 out of all 35 games surpassed 3 hours. The longest were the three games that carried on 3 hours and 6 minutes, which had run counts of 19, 18, and 18.
Statistics show that nine out of ten games with runs hitting double-digits remained under three hours.
As of 2023, pitchers have 15 seconds to pitch the ball when bases are empty and 20 seconds when there are runners in play. Pitchers who violate the time limit automatically issue a ball to the batter.
And yes, batters are under the same time pressures too, except they receive a strike if they violate the clock.
Predicting the Upcoming Major League Baseball Season
With the 2023 MLB season beginning this Thursday, it’s coming to prediction time!
The Yankees reached the American League Championship Series last year, and they’re expected to be a top team again throughout 2023. After all, a lineup fronted by Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Anthony Rizzo is bound to be a heavy hitter.
However, Jason Maciulewski of Roxbury says that New York isn’t anticipated to sprint off with the entire AL East division quite yet. In fact, it may just be the closest division the MLB will be privy to due to the stacked Blue Jays.
As for the Guardians, experts believe they may well outperform their predictions yet again, following in the successes of their previous season. Cleveland appears to be benefitting from the young up-and-comers like George Valera and Will Brennan, standing them in good stead to have another good year.
Lastly, the Rangers have continued to make huge signings during the offseason, landing Jacob deGrom to the roster for a shot at the playoffs.
