Atlanta Braves prospect Nolan Kingham proved that pace of play is not necessarily a concern when it comes to baseball.
One of the ongoing concerns with professional baseball, at least to the powers that be, involves the pace of play. Commissioner Rob Manfred has seemingly made this a personal crusade, with pitch clocks in the minor leagues, the intentional walk being eliminated, and a plethora of ridiculous changes being experimented with in the Atlantic League. At some point, the game just needs to be left alone.
However, it seems that no one told Atlanta Braves prospect Nolan Kingham that there are so many concerns about the pace of play in baseball. He fired a shutout for the Florida Fire Frogs in 96 minutes, winning the contest 2-0 against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. He struck out five batters, allowing just three base hits in the contest.
Amazingly, that would not come close to being the fastest game in MLB history. That contest, a 6-1 victory for the New York Giants over the Philadelphia Phillies on September 28, 1919, took only 51 minutes to complete. The professional record, meanwhile, was set back on August 30, 1916 between the Asheville Tourists and the Winston-Salem Twins. That game, a 2-1 victory for the Twins, lasted a whopping 31 minutes.
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Even had the contest been at its normal pace, this was the type of outing that Kingham needed. He had struggled in his previous two outings after being promoted to the Florida State League, allowing seven runs on 19 hits and three walks in ten innings. Although he had managed eight strikeouts, Kingham needed a game like his contest on Wednesday.
It was a far cry from his previous professional experience. A 12th round selection in the 2018 Draft, Kingham had a solid showing at Rookie Ball before beginning the year in the South Atlantic League. It did not take long for him to show that he needed more of a challenge, as he posted a 0.56 ERA and a 0.813 WHiP in 16 innings, issuing just one walk while striking out seven.
Sometimes, it just takes that one outing to have everything click. That one performance that shows that a player does belong at that level, giving them the confidence to succeed. Considering how quickly Kingham mowed down the Flying Tigers, he should have that confidence boost.
Pace of play problems? That certainly was not the case on Wednesday night when Atlanta Braves prospect Nolan Kingham took the mound.