MLB Pitch Clock Has Roots in Wichita’s National Baseball Congress

April 28, 2023

If you’ve been following Major League Baseball this spring one thing you’ve undoubtedly noticed is that baseball games are faster…much faster. With the introduction of the pitch clock this year, game times are down over 30 minutes from the 2022 season, as of mid-April.

According to Morgan Sword, Executive VP of Major League Baseball, in reference to the pitch clock “…it’s probably the biggest change that’s been made to baseball in most of our lifetimes.”

WHAT YOU MOST LIKELY DON’T KNOW, is that sixty-one years before MLB implemented the “biggest change of our lifetimes”, it was Raymond “Hap” Dumont and the National Baseball Congress who first instituted a 20-second timer with penalties for infractions.

The 20-second pitch clock had technically been in the MLB rule book since 1901, but Dumont’s announcement in January 1962 for the National Baseball Congress’ annual tournament marked the first time that a pitch clock would be enforced in organized baseball.

Dumont and his team worked with Timex to install a timer on the scoreboard prior to the ‘62 tournament in Wichita. If a pitcher failed to deliver a pitch within 20 seconds of receiving the ball back from the catcher a horn would sound and a “ball” would be called. Hitters were timed as well. They had 20 seconds to be in the batter’s box after the previous batter had either made an out or reached base, and a “strike” was called on the batter if they were tardy.

Dumont, as he always did, added his own flair to the pace of play initiative, instituting a 90-second clock between innings as well. For Dumont, the quicker pace meant that more games could be played in the tournament, which meant more money for Dumont and tournament stakeholders.

Of the 64 games during the 1962 tournament, only 14 violations occurred and according to Dumont game times were slashed by 25 minutes.

There was one slight hiccup. During a quarterfinal game, rain short-circuited the timer rendering it unusable. That game, between the Ocala Merchants (FL) and Grand Rapids Sullivans (MI), lasted three hours and 12 minutes.

After drawing rave reviews from players, managers, scouts and fans, Dumont predicted that within two years Major League Baseball would adopt his timer.

Turns out he was only off by 59 years.

NBC March Newsletter

March 12, 2018

March Newsletter is out!

March Madness is here!!! Who is your favorite team? Laces and the staff will be competing in a Bracket Challenge, and the great thing about it, our fans can win free tickets to the 2018 NBC World Series by following us on Facebook.

For the third year, we are having our MLB Pitch, Hit and Run events, and we are partnering with local recreation centers and Baseball/Softball programs to have a fun and free competition for boys and girls between the ages of seven and fourteen. Winners get the chance to compete in the finals at the MLB All-Star Game this summer.

We will start selling our Season Passes within a couple weeks, and Individual Tickets, Flex Tickets and Parties (Skybox, Party Deck, Hardball Cafe, Field Pass) will be coming in the next two months.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat for exciting action going on with the NBC Staff and our affiliated teams.

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MLB Team Announced – Kansas Stars

July 17, 2016

MLB ALL-STARS ROSTER FULL OF BIG LEAGUERS

Clemens one of eight NBC Alumni to compete in Championship Week

Kansas natives Nate Robertson and Adam LaRoche have put together an impressive roster of former big leaguers. The Kansas Stars, sponsored by the Kansas Star Casino will feature seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. Clemens is one of 11 players on the team that was an MLB All-Star. 24 of the 25 players on the roster (see below) played in the Major Leagues. This is the first time in NBC World Series history 24 former Major Leaguers will be on one team.

Joining Clemens as NBC Alumni are Robertson, LaRoche, J.D. Drew, Dan Uggla, Jack Wilson, Koyie Hill and Ryan Kohlmeier.

MLB All-Stars: Tim Hudson (4), Ben Sheets (4), Roy Oswalt (3), Dan Uggla (3), Josh Beckett(3), Brad Penny (2), Jason Isringhausen (2), J.D. Drew (2), Jack Wilson (1), Brandon Inge (1).

The Kansas Stars, sponsored by Kansas Star Casino will play in Championship Week of the 82nd NBC World Series. The Stars pool play games will be Saturday, August 6th at 9:30 pm, Monday, August 8th and Wednesday, August 10th, both at 7 pm.

All games will be played at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. To order individual game tickets go to selectaseat.com or call 316-977-9400.

Adam LaRoche	LaRoche is a Fort Scott, KS native that played 12 seasons in the majors. He was a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner ending with 255 career homeruns.
Nate Robertson	A Wichita KS native who stayed home to pitch for the Wichita State Shockers. Robertson played professionally for the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies. He won 57 major league games and is currently the co-owner if the Wichita Wingnuts.
Roger Clemens	Clemens is an 11 time All-Star, 2 Time World Series Champion, 7 time Cy Young Award winner, 1996 MLB MVP, was a member of the MLB All-Century Team, 354 MLB Wins and 4,672 Strikeouts.
Tim Hudson	Hudson pitched 17 big league seasons and recorded 222 victories. During his career he was a 4 time AllStar, 2014 World Series Champion, 2010 NL Comeback Player of the Year, and the AL Wins Leader in 2000.
Josh Beckett	Beckett pitched 13 big league seasons, won 138 games and was a 2 time World Series Champion. He’s a 3 time All-Star, World Series MVP for the Marlins, 2007 ALCS MVP with Red Sox, 2007 MLB wins leader and tossed a no-hitter 5-25-14.
Brad Penny	Penny pitched 14 big league seasons, won 121 games and was a 2 time All-Star. He was a World Series Champion in 2003 and the 2006 NL Wins Leader
Roy Oswalt	Oswalt pitched 13 big league seasons and won 163 games. He’s a 3 time All-Star, the 2005 NLCS MVP, 2004 NL wins leader and 2006 NL ERA leader.
Ben Sheets	Sheets was the 10th overall pick in the 1999 MLB Draft. He’s a 4 time All-Star, won 94 games in his 12 year big league career, struck out 1,325 batters and played for Team USA in the Summer Olympic Games.
J.D. Drew	Drew play at Florida State University where earned both the Dick Howser Award and Golden Spike Award in 1997. He played 14 big league seasons and had a lifetime batting average of .278 recording 242 homeruns. He was a World Series Champion in 2007 and an All-Star in 2008.
Jason Isringhausen	Isringhausen played 18 big league seasons and amassed 51 wins and 300 saves. He was a 2 time All-Star and the NL Saves Leader in 2004.
Dan Uggla	Uggla played 10 big league seasons and smashed 235 homeruns. He’s the only second baseman in MLB history to hit 30 homeruns or more in 4 consecutive seasons. He was a 3 time All-Star and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2010.
Jack Wilson	Wilson played 13 years in the big leagues, is a Silver Slugger Award winner, and made the All-Star team in 2004 with the Pirates.
Rick Ankiel	Ankiel played 15 professional seasons, won 13 games as a pitcher and recorded 76 career homeruns
Brandon Inge	Inge played 13 big league seasons, hit 152 homeruns, driving in 708 RBIs and was an MLB All-Star in 2009.
Adam Everett	Everett played in the big leagues for 10 seasons; he hit 40 homeruns and has 283 RBIs in his career.
Laynce Nix	In Nix 10 year professional career, he slugged 69 homeruns and recorded 248 RBIs.
Brett Tomko	Tomko won 100 games and had over 1,200 strikeouts in his 14 years as a pro.
Pete Orr	Orr played 7 professional seasons and had a career batting average of .257. He represented his home country of Canada in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Koyie Hill	Hill had a remarkable career at Wichita State University compiling a .384 batting average and 186 RBIs. In 1999 he played for Team USA and an 11 year professional career.
Ryan Kohlmeier	Kohlmeier is an Salina, KS native and played 4 professional seasons.
Jayson Nix	Nix played professional baseball for 8 years and recorded 38 homeruns.
Ryan Langerhans	Langerhans played 12 years of professional baseball and had 33 homeruns.
Justin Germano	Germano was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2000 and also played in Japan and Korea during his 11 year professional career.
Koby Clemens	Clemens was drafted in the 8th round by the Houston Astros and is the son of Roger Clemens.
Barry Wesson	Wesson was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 14th round in 1995.

NBC Press Release – MLB Roster as a PDF

NBC Joins ABCA In Supporting MLB And USA Baseball Youth Arm Care Initiative

January 28, 2015

ABCA OFFICIALLY SUPPORTS PITCH SMART

The American Baseball Coaches Association board of directors votes unanimously

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball, Major League Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday that the ABCA is officially supporting USA Baseball and MLB’s joint youth arm care safety initiative, Pitch Smart. The announcement follows the ABCA’s board of directors unanimously voting in favor of supporting the initiative that was launched in late 2014.

“Major League Baseball is pleased that the ABCA has endorsed the Pitch Smart pitching safety program,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who received the 2015 ABCA Honor Award on January 4, 2015 at the ABCA Convention. “Keeping pitchers healthy should be a common goal of everyone in baseball. Pitch Smart is a great example of the entire baseball community, professional and amateur, coming together to make our game better.”

The Association is involved in numerous programs that promote the integrity of the profession and the development of the game of baseball, and, each January, the ABCA hosts the largest baseball convention in the world. Approximately 4,000 coaches attend the convention, which is held at various locations around the country. The 2015 iteration was attended by commissioner, Rob Manfred, as he continues to further engage the amateur baseball community.

“With its endorsement of Pitch Smart, it is clear that the American Baseball Coaches Association is making player health and safety a priority in everything it does,” said USA Baseball’s executive director/CEO, Paul Seiler. “It is the support of the ABCA and other organizations that confirms our belief that baseball has united in protecting our young athletes.”

The ABCA is committed to the success and growth of baseball through youth baseball. In the past 12 years, thousands of young people have gone through ABCA sponsored youth clinics. Each year, several hundred young players attend ABCA clinics in Montgomery, Alabama; Lewiston, Idaho; and Grand Junction, Colorado.

“The ABCA is proud to endorse Pitch Smart along with Major League Baseball and USA Baseball,” said ABCA executive director, Craig Keilitz. “Education is one of our organization’s cornerstones and the health and safety of our young players is a major priority. Pitch Smart provides clear guidelines for our coaches, particularly those who are new to the profession, and we look forward to being involved in the further development of this initiative for years to come.”

The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 24 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.

About the American Baseball Coaches Association

Established in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the top professional association for amateur baseball coaches. Its over 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 24 countries. Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth. The annual ABCA Convention hosts over 4,000 coaches and features the ABCA Clinics, Trade Show and other activities. The 72nd annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 7-10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.

About USA Baseball

USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit USABaseball.com.