History made as Colorado Rockies win with first walk-off pitch clock violation
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan pitches in the ninth inning
By Aimee Lewis, CNN
(CNN) — Major League Baseball history was made on Saturday when the Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals with the first walk-off pitch clock violation.
With the game tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning, bases loaded, a full 3-2 count and no outs, Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan committed a pitch-clock violation, his ninth of the season.
The violation forced the winning run to cross the plate on the automatic ball at Coors Field in Denver to give the Rockies an 8-7 victory.
The rule was introduced ahead of the 2023 season and dictates that pitchers have 15 seconds to complete a delivery with bases empty and 18 seconds with runners on bases.
“At first, I didn’t really know what he called because I thought I was right on time. I wasn’t,” Finnegan told reporters.
“So, it kind of dawned on me that I was too late. Just immediately, felt awful about letting the team down in that big spot there. To lose the game in that way, it just can’t happen.”
Ryan McMahon drew the bases-loaded walk-off. According to the MLB, it was the fourth pitch-clock violation with bases loaded but the first which had led to a walk-off.
Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters: “How about that? The Rockies and the Nationals are part of history.”
Nationals manager Dave Martinez described it as a “tough situation,” but said that Finnegan had to be “mindful” of such situations.
“He’s just slow, that’s who he is. He’s a closer. It burned him today, but typically it hasn’t burned him,” he told reporters.
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CNN’s Wayne Sterling contributed to reporting.
