Clay Holmes, a Yankee pitcher, is among three players on the team who are testing the PitchCom device during spring training. PitchCom was introduced last year in MLB and enables catchers to call a game by pressing buttons on the device, which then transmits the pitch to the pitchers through an earpiece inside their hat.
However, this year, the league is allowing pitchers to have their own device on their person while on the mound, transmitting to the earpiece in catchers’ helmets, which could possibly be approved for the regular season as well.
Holmes is using the PitchCom device to speed up the process and maintain the pace of play. While he plans on having the catcher still call most of the game, he can press the device in certain situations when the pitch clock is running down, and he wants to throw a specific pitch.
Holmes averaged 15.8 seconds between pitches with the bases empty last season and now gets 15 seconds to deliver with the pitch clock. He believes the device will help him deliver the pitches he wants to throw while still keeping pace of play.
Holmes and pitching coach Matt Blake also like that wearing the PitchCom device helps with having conviction behind pitches in certain situations. The device enables the pitcher to have an instinct and go with it, instead of waiting to get on the rubber and shaking through things traditionally. The PitchCom device could be helpful in the ninth inning when the game is on the line, which is where Holmes will find himself most of the time.
»Clay Holmes is among three players to test PitchCom device«
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