CPBL to use shorter pitch clock in preseason, larger bases in 2026

Taipei, March 6 (CNA) Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) will trial a shorter pitch clock during its 2025 preseason games and introduce larger bases in the 2026 season.

During the upcoming preseason, the pitch timer will be reduced from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with the bases empty and from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with runners on base, CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said Wednesday, citing discussions from a managers' meeting that day.

The proposal was first raised in mid-February by Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒), the Rakuten Monkeys' bench and batting coach, and Lin Yueh-ping (林岳平), manager of the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions.

Tseng and Lin, who served as Team Taiwan's head coach and pitching coach, respectively, during the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers (WBCQ), suggested the changes to help players adjust to WBC rules.

In WBCQ games, pitchers must throw within 15 seconds with no runners on base and within 18 seconds with runners on, while batters must be in the box with eight seconds remaining on the clock.

Taiwan secured a spot in the 2026 World Baseball Classic in late February, but several Taiwanese players said they felt "uncomfortable" with the faster pace of play.

Among them was Uni-Lions outfielder Lin Chia-wei (林佳緯), who failed to enter the batter's box in time on three occasions.

While acknowledging the players' struggles, Tsai said the decision ultimately rests with the managers of the CPBL's six teams.

"The league respects the managers' opinions because they are the ones implementing strategies on the field. Since we prioritize player health, we let the managers decide first and make changes step by step," he said.

However, Tsai said that the league will enforce the pitch clock more strictly this year.

Meanwhile, due to supply shortages, the CPBL will delay the adoption of larger bases until the 2026 season.

"Next year will be the most suitable time. We may introduce them in spring training [2026] or even earlier," Tsai said.

Once implemented, the CPBL will join Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in using larger bases.

MLB first introduced the change in 2023, expanding bases from 15 inches square to 18 inches square to reduce collisions and make stolen bases slightly easier.