As promised, MLB tweaks pitch clock rules
Major League Baseball has clarified its new rules to allow umpires to delay the start of the pitch clock after big swings in which a hitter loses footing or when a pitcher covers first base, third or home, in addition to other clarifications announced Wednesday.
The commissioner’s office said in a memo that if a catcher ends an inning on base, at bat or on deck, an umpire may determine the catcher needs additional time and allow the pitcher another warmup throw and the catcher to throw to second base.
The league also said that after a batter uses his one allowed timeout during a plate appearance, the clock shall start when the hitter indicates he is ready in addition to the previous specification when he returned to the batter’s box.
The clarifications ahead of March 30 openers were contained in a four-page memo sent by MLB senior vice president Michael Hill to managers, general managers and assistant general managers, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Unchanged were the 15-second pitch time limit between pitches with no runners on and 20 seconds with runners.
More baseball
Roger Clemens will be an analyst for ESPN when the defending World Series champion Houston Astros host the Chicago White Sox on opening day. He will be stepping in on March 30 for David Cone, who will be doing the New York Yankees opener against the San Francisco Giants on YES Network.
Pro football
The Cleveland Browns added another target for quarterback Deshaun Watson, acquiring wide receiver Elijah Moore in a trade with the Jets. The Browns have agreed to send the No. 42 pick in this year’s draft to the Jets for Moore and the No. 74 selection. New York now has picks No. 42 and 43 — as well as No. 13 overall.
Golf
Matt Kuchar outlasted Viktor Hovland and won his 35th career match on Day 1 of group play in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas. Kuchar, 44, is one win shy of tying the career tournament record held by Tiger Woods.
Figure skating
Defending champion Kaori Sakamoto took the lead after the women’s short program at the world figure skating championships in Saitama, Japan. She is aiming to become the first Japanese skater to win back-to-back world titles. American teenager Isabeau Levito was fourth.
Boxing
The proposed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since 2000 is on shaky ground, with the boxers seemingly unable to agree to rematch terms. Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, told British broadcaster talkSPORT that his fighter no longer wants to negotiate with
Fury because his rival was “putting so many obstacles in front of making the deal.”
Soccer
Cristiano Ronaldo will break the all-time record for appearances with a national team in men’s soccer when he takes the field for Portugal on Thursday against against
Liechtenstein in qualifying for the European Championship. It will be his 197th match.
• The San Diego Wave signed 15-year-old Melanie Barcenas, the youngest player ever to reach a deal with a National Women’s Soccer League team. At 15 years and 138 days, Barcenas is younger than Chloe Ricketts,
who was 15 years and 283 days old when she signed with the Washington Spirit earlier this month.
Hockey
Russia and Belarus teams were excluded by the International Ice Hockey Federation from all its world championships next season, including the women’s event in the United States.
Tennis
World No. 1 and defending Miami Open champion Iga Swiatek withdrew from this year’s tournament because of a rib injury.