Shohei Ohtani made history again Wednesday as the first player to run afoul of MLB's new pitch-timer rules as both a hitter and a pitcher, and said the rule's implementation is still in a gray area.
Starting this season, MLB pitchers have 20 seconds to begin their motion to the plate with runners on base, and 15 seconds with the bases empty. Failure to comply results in the umpire calling an automatic ball.
In Wednesday's game, Ohtani walked the first two Seattle Mariners batters he faced in the first inning. Eugenio Suarez singled in a run on the next pitch. When Ohtani took too much time to collect himself, the umpire stopped the action and awarded Ball 1 to cleanup hitter Cal Raleigh.