The NPB released a list of pitchers and hitters ranked by the shortest time between pitches as part of their ongoing efforts to shorten the length of games. The top ranked pitchers and hitters will be eligible for the Speed Up Award. Below are the rankings for pitchers.
Time between pitches with bases empty (through June 20)
Central League
| Rank | Name JPN | Name ENG | Team | Time | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 高木 勇人 | Takagi, Hayato | Yomiuri | 10.9 | 76.0 |
| 2 | 井納 翔一 | Ino, Shoichi | Yokohama | 10.9 | 83.2 |
| 3 | マテオ | Mateo, Marcos | Hanshin | 11.0 | 26.0 |
| 4 | 田口 麗斗 | Taguchi, Kazuto | Yomiuri | 11.0 | 72.2 |
| 5 | 今村 信貴 | Imamura, Nobutaka | Yomiuri | 11.6 | 59.0 |
| 6 | 三上 朋也 | Mikami, Tomoya | Yokohama | 11.6 | 27.2 |
| 7 | ジョンソン | Johnson, Kris | Hiroshima | 11.7 | 94.1 |
| 8 | メッセンジャー | Messenger, Randy | Hanshin | 11.9 | 96.0 |
| 9 | ジョーダン | Norberto, Jordan | Chunichi | 12.0 | 65.1 |
| 10 | 野村 祐輔 | Nomura, Yusuke | Hiroshima | 12.1 | 74.2 |
Pacific League
| Rank | Name JPN | Name ENG | Team | Time | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 牧田 和久 | Makita, Kazuhisa | Seibu | 8.0 | 48.0 |
| 2 | 小石 博孝 | Koishi, Hirotaka | Seibu | 9.5 | 34.2 |
| 3 | メンドーサ | Mendoza, Luis | Nippon Ham | 10.3 | 77.1 |
| 4 | 吉川 光夫 | Yoshikawa, Mitsuo | Nippon Ham | 10.5 | 64.0 |
| 5 | 高梨 裕稔 | Takanashi, Hirotoshi | Nippon Ham | 10.8 | 24.2 |
| 6 | ディクソン | Dickson, Brandon | Orix | 10.9 | 80.2 |
| 7 | 南 昌輝 | Minami, Masaki | Lotte | 11.6 | 31.1 |
| 8 | 東明 大貴 | Tomei, Daiki | Orix | 11.7 | 60.1 |
| 9 | 和田 毅 | Wada, Tsuyoshi | Softbank | 11.7 | 78.2 |
| 10 | 二木 康太 | Futaki, Kota | Lotte | 11.8 | 71.2 |
Source: NPB announcement