Major League Baseball’s implementation of a pitch clock will force some players to change their routines on the mound, none moreso than Houston Astros pitcher Luis Garcia.
Garcia had previously used a “rock the baby”-type setup, which involved him moving from setup to windup without a stop. The rule changes implemented for the upcoming season stipulate that a pitcher must have a clear point in his delivery in order to stop the pitch timer.
It would appear that Garcia has been tinkering with his move for a while in anticipation of the new stipulations, as he made his spring debut without issue on Tuesday. The juxtaposition between approaches can be seen in the below video, with his new delivery on the left and old one on the right. His revamped delivery is noticeably quicker.
The introduction of the pitch clock has led to some hiccups in spring training, but outside of the learning curve, pitchers and batters seem to both be adjusting relatively well to what is a significant change to the fabric of the game.
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