The New York Mets offense was anemic in a 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, and that was highlighted by an unusual strikeout courtesy of outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
With two outs and a 2-2 count in the bottom of the eighth inning, Nimmo got rung up without a pitch being thrown. Home plate umpire Nic Lentz called him for a pitch-clock violation after Nimmo failed to engage pitcher Tim Mayza at the eight-second mark on the clock.
Following a foul ball, Nimmo stepped into the batter’s box and appeared to be settling into his stance when Lentz called the third strike.
“It seems ticky-tack,” Nimmo said after the game, via the New York Post. “Usually, we get a little more time on foul balls. Maybe that’s been wrong. It sucks that a situation in a game is dictated by something that wasn’t even in the game a year ago. I’ve got to try to be more aware of the clock.”
Mets manager Buck Showalter didn’t offer up any criticism for Lentz but was clearly frustrated by what transpired.
“We had a really good hitter up there in a close game and the next thing you know, the inning’s over,” he said.
Many anticipated a rapid adjustment to the new pitch clock but we’re now into June and players are continuing to struggle with it. Some continue to rail against it publicly.
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