Kershaw: 'I'm not going to pay any attention' to pitch clocks

Sunday's announcement that pitch clocks will be used in spring training - ostensibly as a test run for potential future use in the regular season - wasn't received warmly by Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

The former Cy Young winner expressed some opposition to the implementation of the 20-second clock on Monday, stating that he's going to pretend it doesn't even exist once Cactus League games begin.

"I'm not going to pay any attention to it," Kershaw said, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. "If I go over then I go over. I'm not going to change anything I do. I'm not going (to) pay attention to it one bit. If it becomes a problem, I guess I'll have to deal with it then."

Teammate Rich Hill was even more succinct in his criticism of the clock.

"It's ridiculous," Hill told Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said Sunday that penalties for violating the clock will not be enforced during spring training while all parties get used to the rules.

Pitch clocks have been used in the minor leagues since 2015. Triple-A rules allow umpires to call an automatic ball if the pitcher doesn't start their windup before the clock runs down.

While Kershaw and Hill don't seem to be fans, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts endorsed the pitch clock's trial run.

"We're trying to get this game better and do what the fans want and what works for the players," Roberts told David Vassegh of AM 570. "There's got to be an evolution and that's what we are doing."

Roberts added that he believes hitters, and not pitchers, will have more trouble with the clock this spring.