This MLB Team Thinks ‘Conspiracy’ Causing More Clock Violations

Major League Baseball fans largely have grown accustomed to the new pitch clock this season, but players for one National League club seem to think there’s a “conspiracy” afoot.

Multiple players on the Philadelphia Phillies believe the pitch clock at Citizens Bank Park is faster than at other stadiums, which has led to more violations when they play at home. The idea, on the surface, seems silly, but the data proves their case.

The Athletic’s Matt Gelb on Friday created a chart based off research by STATS Perform to track the number of pitching violations per game at every ballpark. And the numbers show a significant outlier of violations that give Citizens Bank Park more than any other ballpark.

“The number of violations here is such an outlier that the gap between Citizens Bank Park and the stadium with the second-most is the same as the difference between second and 10th place,” Gelb wrote. “The numbers could even out over time but, right now, it is statistically significant.

“… The Phillies have played eight more road games than home games, but they have been assessed 14 timer violations at home and only five on the road. There were 25 total violations in the first 26 games at Citizens Bank Park.”

For curious Red Sox fans, Fenway Park has the sixth-most pitching violations per game in MLB, though, again, the differences between two through 10 is very minimal.

Boston played a three-game series against the Phillies back in the beginning of May. Justin Turner was issued a violation on May 5 despite having both feet in the box, and Rob Refsnyder was issued a violation the night after.

Philadelphia is 30-32 and third in the NL East, as of Friday. So it’s not like the faster pitch clock is a significant advantage, but Gelb spoke to multiple Phillies players who noted the difference does throw off their timing and does make a difference for gameplay.

The league looked into the Phillies’ concerns, but it’s unclear if anything actually was done, according to Gelb. Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck has gotten used to the speed of the pitch clock, but there are plenty of other players in MLB that have voiced their displeasure when it comes to speed or how umpires have issued violations. This “conspiracy” from Philadelphia has added a new wrinkle to the debate.