THE Colorado Rockies pulled off a never-before-seen victory in Major League Baseball in dramatic scenes on Saturday.
Colorado beat the Washington Nationals 8-7 in a victory at Coors Field in Denver.
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And it all came down to the pitch clock, which is only in its second MLB season.
The Rockies trailed 7-6 when they reached base in the bottom of the ninth inning.
They tied it at 7-7 before loading the bases on pitcher Kyle Finnegan.
Finnegan stepped up to try and get Colorado’s Ryan McMahon out of trouble.
But before he could remove it, the referee intervened.
Finnegan was flagged for a field clock violation that resulted in a walk to McMahon.
And with the bases loaded, that allowed Jake Cave to come home from third base for the winning run.
A pitch clock violation resulting in a walk-off has never been seen before in MLB.
Under new rules brought in from the 2023 season, pitchers are allowed 15 seconds with no runners on base.
But Finnegan had 18 seconds to throw as there were men on base, in this case all three.
The violation was Finnegan’s ninth this season, but none was more costly.
He was angered by the way the game ended, but appeared to take the blame for the violation.
“At first, I didn’t really know how he called because I thought he had arrived at the right time. I wasn’t,” Finnegan said.
“Then I realized it was too late.
“I immediately felt terrible for letting the team down in that big position.
Five Major MLB Rule Changes in 2024
1. The pitch clock is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base. It will remain at 15 seconds with the bases empty.
2. When a pitching change is made, the inning clock will reset to 2:00 instead of 2:15 as it did last year.
3. Teams will only be able to visit four mounds per game in 2024, compared to five last season.
4. Defenders and defenders blocking bases will be called for obstruction.
5. The runners’ lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.
“Losing the game like that simply cannot happen.
“I’m just trying to focus on the field and location.
“I thought I took the watch. I think when I caught it and looked at the catcher and threw it, I was already a little late.
“I’m not going to change everything.
“Obviously, it’s been a thing for me, but it’s something I use and I just need to get better at.
“I like to use the clock to my advantage, but I just need to make sure I have one tick left.
“I didn’t do it tonight and I paid for it.”
His manager Dave Martinez also questioned Finnegan’s “conscience”.
“It’s a difficult situation, but it’s something he needs to be aware of,” Martinez said.
“He’s just slow, that’s what he is. He’s closer. It burned him today, but it normally didn’t burn him.”
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