Last-place Lotte Giants record most pitch clock violations in KBO over first six weeks

The Lotte Giants would have recorded the most pitch clock violations in the KBO over the first six weeks of games if the system was being enforced, averaging 10.59 violations per game according to statistics released by the KBO on Monday.

The Lotte Giants react after winning a KBO game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on April 18. [NEWS1]

The Lotte Giants would have recorded the most pitch clock violations in the KBO over the first six weeks of games if the system was being enforced, averaging 10.59 violations per game according to statistics released by the KBO on Monday.

The newly-introduced pitch clock is used to limit the amount of time a pitcher uses before he throws the ball to the hitter or the amount of time a hitter uses before he prepares to hit. In the KBO, pitchers are given 18 seconds to pitch with the bases empty and 23 seconds with runners on base.

But while the clock was introduced this year, it is not currently being enforced. Pitch times and violations are being monitored by the KBO, but there are currently no punishments for violating the clock.

In the 34 games the Giants have played since the start of the 2024 season, the Busan club has recorded 360 pitch clock violations for an average of 10.59 per game.

The Hanwha Eagles come in second at an average 8.69, followed by the SSG Landers at 7.81, Kia Tigers at 6.06, Kiwoom Heroes at 5.85, NC Dinos at 5.09, Doosan Bears at 4.89, Samsung Lions at 4.83, LG Twins at 4.3 and KT Wiz at 3.38.

The Hanhwa Eagles bow their heads after losing a KBO game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi on April 24. [NEWS1]

In total, there has been 2,173 pitch clock violations recorded across the 178 games played as of Sunday, which is an average of 12.21 per game. In the MLB, which has used an enforced pitch clock since last year, the average number of violations across the first month this year was just 0.32, with 74 percent of games played without a single violation, according to the Washington Post last week.

Alongside the clock violations, the Giants also lead the league with the highest average game length, at three hours and 13 minutes, followed by the Dinos at three hours and 10 minutes, the Tigers and Landers at three hours and nine minutes, the Eagles at three hours and eight minutes, the Twins at three hours and seven minutes, the Lions and Bears at three hours and six minutes, the Wiz at two hours and 59 minutes and the Heroes at two hours and 58 minutes.

The extra time taken has not benefited the Giants, who currently sit in 10th place on the KBO table. The Eagles, who had the second-highest average number of violations, sit in ninth place, behind the Wiz in eighth and the Heroes in seventh. The Bears sit in sixth, behind the reigning champions Twins in fifth, Landers in fourth, Lions in third and Dinos in second. The Tigers lead the table, one game clear of the Dinos.

BY JIM BULLEY, PAIK JI-HWAN [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]