Too many pitches

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by BretMan

Sorry if I sound confused...but I am. Your first post didn't mention anything about the one-minute rule. You just said that after the first inning you give them "three at the most" warm-up throws.

If you think that five warm-up pitches can't be thrown in one minute, why do you allow five in the first inning? Is there something special about the first inning where you would want to not enforce the one-minute time limit, then crack down with a vengance for the next six innings?

The biggest delay in the top of the first inning is getting the home team on the field after the plate meeting. But just a point... when do YOU start the 1 minute time in the top of the first?

Also, I tend to give a team a bit of "grace" on the time if the catcher was at bat or on the bases at the end of the inning. And, in general, I only actually "time" the one minute if lollygagging is a problem. I don't monitor whether they take 50 seconds or 90 seconds; but several minutes? I'll cut them short on pitches, and then monitor more closely for the rest of the game.

I will say that excessive time is not a big deal with our leagues that do have the 3 pitch local rule. It does tend to keep things moving.