Twins' Dozier: Pitch clock would affect 'integrity of the game'

Amid negotiations between the players' union and the league office to introduce new measures to improve MLB's pace of play, players have shown unity in their opposition to what's being proposed, and Brian Dozier joined the fray Sunday.

"We don't want to damage the integrity of the game and change the game completely," the Minnesota Twins second baseman told Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. "If (MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's proposal) does go through, it definitely changes the integrity of the game, and we are all against it."

"There's so much gray area in the proposal," Dozier added. "It just didn't sit well with us."

Dozier, the Twins' representative on a two-hour conference call between the league and all 30 teams, provided an example of how a 20-second pitch clock would impair the integrity of the sport.

"Say it's the bottom of the ninth, full count, bases loaded, and a guy needs to take a deep breath or gets the hiccups or something. Is that a walk-off? Come on," he said.

Manfred has been candid about willing to overrule the union's objections on pace of play and implement rules unilaterally in time for the 2018 season - a power the commissioner's office wields.

Other proposed pace-of-play rules include limiting time between batters to 30 seconds and imposing a limit on mound visits.