Shot clock issues were at the forefront of a game Saturday between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers and led to a manager being told to shower early.
The incident occurred in the sixth inning. Phillies manager Rob Thomson came out to argue after home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz failed to reset the shot clock when pitcher Aaron Nola requested a new baseball. The officials believed that Nola was taking time to circumvent the shot clock rules.
Pitchers have 15 seconds to pitch with no one on base and 20 seconds with a runner. There were 10 seconds left on the shot clock after Nola was handed a new baseball.
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Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson showered early. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
«As the game went on, he started throwing more and more balls where we felt he was trying to reset the clock, which is an attempt to get around the shot clock regulations,» said third base umpire Bill Miller, chief of team. he told a pool reporter. «It is up to the referee’s judgment whether any player, at any time, is attempting to circumvent the shot clock regulations.»
Miller added that Nola «never felt the ball until he took it out and wanted another one.»
Thomson blew up after he came off the bench to address the ordeal.
«Part of the rule says no delay, but it doesn’t specifically talk about throwing baseballs,» Thomson said. «All baseballs are different. They feel different in a pitcher’s hand. Sometimes they get slippery. I don’t know how you can tell a pitcher is throwing a baseball because they don’t feel it or are trying to stop unless that you «are a mind reader».
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson argues with referee Bill Miller during a Los Angeles Dodgers game, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Nola suggested that he was trying to do both: buy more time and feel like the ball was slippery.
«I was feeling it and walking back to the mound,» Nola said. «The clock had started. I wanted to throw the ball to get an extra second. I guess they didn’t like that. The balls are slippery. I need to rub them. Sometimes they are chalky, sometimes slippery, sometimes the seams are bigger than others, sometimes they are smaller.»
It was Thomson’s second sending off. He was released in May against the Colorado Rockies for arguing balls and strikes.
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson was ejected from the game. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Los Angeles won the game 9-0. Nola lasted 6 1/3 innings and had seven strikeouts. But he allowed six runs and seven hits.
Associated Press contributed to this report.