March 03--MESA, Ariz. -- Baseball's version of a shot clock was officially introduced Tuesday during the first exhibition games of the 2015 season.
A digital clock with giant red letters counts down from 2 minutes, 25 seconds after the final out of every half-inning. It's part of baseball's new pace of game rules to cut down on the downtime that prolongs games.
Pitchers didn't seem to have any problem with the countdown clock at the Giants-A's Cactus League opener at HoHoKam Stadium.
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum said he didn't notice it at first when he came into the game in relief.
"I didn't need all my warm-ups to get warmed up for the beginning of the inning, I think my adrenalin was kind of going," he said. "I looked at the clock and I was like, 'Oh, I have 54 seconds left. Do I have to use the 54 seconds?' I remember looking at (catcher Andrew) Susac and he was like 'No, go ahead.' No issues."
Lincecum, who works quickly, said pitchers will get used to seeing it and it'll be no big deal.
"It'll be just another bunch of numbers out on the field out on a scoreboard somewhere," he said.
Madison Bumgarner, who started the game, spent almost a minute grooming the mound until starting his warm-ups with 1:22 left on the clock. He gave up three runs on four hits in the first inning.
"I tried to pay attention to it because it's going to be that way during the season," Bumgarner said. "But really I didn't have to worry about it because I get ready decently fast. Not a whole lot to worry about."
Bumgarner, who pitched in relief to win Game 7 of the World Series last October, wound up pitching 1 2/3 innings.
"He could've relieved himself, I'm sure," Lincecum said.
Umm, want to rephrase that?
"I'm saying he could've pitched, taken an inning off, gone down to the bullpen, warmed up again and then come out again," Lincecum said, laughing. "Or just relieved himself."
