MLB notes: Play ball! Quickly! Baseball tries to speed game this spring

With large, glowing red numbers, the timer on the center-field wall at Goodyear Ballpark ticked down Tuesday, counting off seconds and ushering in change.

Baseball, the timeless game of endless summers, went on the clock.

Major League Baseball introduced its new pace of play initiatives during five exhibition games in Arizona and Florida. As expected, there were a few minor glitches as players, managers, umpires and fans adjusted to the “rules” designed to make games shorter, more appealing to TV viewers and perhaps lure the next generation of fans to a sport fighting for attention.

On this opening day, baseball had a slightly different look.

“I’ve never worked a game in the history of baseball that has a countdown clock,” said umpire Dan Iassogna, who kept an eye on second base as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays played in Dunedin, Florida. “That was a little different.”

Under the pace of play provisions, hitters are required to keep one foot in the batter’s box after taking a pitch. Not everyone seemed to get the memo.

New York Yankees leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury took the first pitch of the game – and this spring, in fact – from Philadelphia’s David Buchanan and immediately stepped outside the white-chalked line, maintaining his routine.

These days, that’s a no-no – not a no-hitter. But Vic Carapazza, the plate umpire for the exhibition in Clearwater, Florida, gave no signal to Ellsbury that he was guilty of breaking one of the new rules.

MLB is using the spring training schedule and regular-season games in April to break everyone in. But starting May 1, offenders will face discipline – most likely fines.

Along with keeping batters close to the plate, pitchers are required to have their warmup tosses completed before the clock – set at 2:25 for regionally televised games and 2:45 for national broadcasts – is down to 30 seconds and the batter must be ready by the time the clock reaches 5 seconds.

After Cincinnati drubbed Cleveland 10-0 in a fairly tidy 2 hours, 50 minutes, Indians manager Terry Francona said he believes the changes will be smooth and players and umpires will work together to tweak any problems. There will be issues and controversy, but that’s baseball.

“I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal. I really don’t,” Francona said.

Two clocks were installed at all ballparks throughout the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, and for the most part the time pieces went unnoticed. Players hustled on and off the field between innings, most of them seemingly unaware that they were being timed.

Cespedes connects

Yoenis Cespedes hit a grand slam in his first game for Detroit, Ian Kinsler added a three-run homer and the Tigers routed the Baltimore Orioles 15-2 in a spring training opener at Lakeland, Florida.

Bumgarner popped

World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner was roughed up in his exhibition debut, and Marcus Semien hit a pair of home runs as the Oakland Athletics opened their new spring training home by beating the champion San Francisco Giants 9-4 at Mesa, Arizona.

Bumgarner gave up four runs in 1 2/3 innings, allowing Semien’s two-run shot in the first. The tall lefty was tagged for five hits and struck out two.

Clearing the bases

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is set at the top of his batting order with newcomer Jimmy Rollins. Rollins, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on Dec. 19 for four minor league pitchers, will open the Cactus League schedule today against Chicago White Sox in the leadoff spot. … Alex Rodriguez predicts he’ll be “a little nervous” when he returns to the field today for his first game in 17 months following a season-long drug suspension. … Two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson is set for his second appearance at spring training with the Texas Rangers. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback is scheduled to visit the Arizona camp March 28.