Hey, Quick Pitches Sure Seem To Speed Up The Pace Of Play

In the top of the ninth inning of a lopsided Pirates victory over the vile St. Louis Cardinals Friday, Pirates reliever Kyle Crick quick-pitched Cardinals pinch hitter Harrison Bader on an 0-2 count, drawing a delightfully meager and pointless little swinging bunt from Bader:

Something tells me Bader’s smile while walking back to the dugout is not the smile of a man who is tickled by the cheekiness of his opponent! Nevertheless, I have a proposal for speeding up the pace of play, an MLB priority that seems increasingly like it will bring about such foolishness as runners starting on second base in extra innings: pitchers should quick pitch hitters all the damn time. Bader hangs in the box, like he’s supposed to, but his not-especially-elaborate pre-pitch routine still leaves him vulnerable to a sudden move to the plate. Good! This should be a regular part of baseball.