SARASOTA, Fla. -- To be excruciatingly clear, my first in-person experience with Major League Baseball's new pitch clock wasn't exactly entertaining. Nine total hits, three for extra bases, two total runs and not even a stinking result, as the Pirates and Orioles agreed to a nine-inning 1-1 tie in their Grapefruit League exhibition Friday night at old Ed Smith Stadium.
And yet, I couldn't take my eyes off it ... because I couldn't afford to.
Time of game: Two hours, 18 minutes.
This despite seven pitchers being used from the Pittsburgh side, six from the Baltimore side and a bottom of the ninth inning that wouldn't have been needed, obviously, had the visitors prevailed.