MESA, Ariz. >> Moments before starter Tristan Beck threw the first pitch of the bottom of the first Saturday afternoon in the Giants’ first game of Cactus League play, shortstop Brandon Crawford heard a voice barking at him from his left.

It was second base umpire Bill Miller.

“Make sure you get on the dirt,” the crew chief reminded Crawford.

His heels were touching the outfield grass.

“That was one thing I didn’t even realize that I did that I just have to be conscious of,” Crawford said after the game, a 10-8 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Welcome to Major League Baseball in 2023. It’s going to take some getting used to — for the players, too.

Thanks to the reminder, Crawford wasn’t in violation of the new rules restricting defensive shifts, which require two infielders to have their feet on the dirt of each side of second base when the pitch is thrown. And while Crawford and others said the changes would be a spring-long adjustment, the Giants ultimately committed three violations, and six errors, a reminder that the new rules aren’t the only things players must focus on this spring.

“There’s some stuff that we’re definitely going to have to get used to,” Crawford said. “But the pace is definitely faster.”

Manager Gabe Kapler encouraged his players to ask questions, and Crawford said he had an ongoing dialogue with Miller at second base.

At one point, Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer called time, and Crawford turned to Miller. He wanted to confirm how many times a batter could step out during one plate appearance. Just once, he was told.

Hosmer, according to catcher Blake Sabol, turned to home plate umpire Nick Mahrley with a question: Is that not a violation yet?

Giants lefty Sam Long, the second-fastest worker in the majors last season, had already delivered a couple pitches to start the at-bat. Each one left Long’s hand with plenty of time on the clock — 8-10 seconds remaining — but on this one, Long came set and waited. The clock ticked down to 5 seconds, then 4, 3, 2. And Hosmer called time.

“He felt a little uncomfortable,” Sabol said. “We had a long hold.”

The plate umpire’s response to Hosmer’s query, according to Sabol: Uh, no. You called time.

“I think for a lot of guys, it’s on their mind right now, especially the veteran guys,” said Sabol, a verified rules expert after playing with them in the minor leagues last year. “Hosmer, he was literally asking questions during his at-bat trying to figure out the rules.”

There are some differences from how the rules were enforced during their trial period in the minors. And, in a twist, all three of the Giants’ violations came not from their veterans but different young players with plenty of experience under the clock.

“There were definitely things we got away with last year in the minors,” Sabol said. “You could see they really put a big emphasis for the big leagues. In the minors, they weren’t really harsh on the eight-second thing. Even when the clock ticked down to zero, they’d give it an extra second to get the pitch off. It just depends on who’s back there. I thought the (umpires) did a really good job today of officiating the game.”

Beck, their starter, exceeded the 20-second limit once, and Cody Bellinger was awarded a ball. Third baseman Casey Schmitt was penalized a strike against Marcus Stroman because he wasn’t in the box and ready to hit with 8 seconds on the clock.

And their third was committed by Long, who learned a lesson along the way.

“We’re going to have to sprint in from the bullpen,” Long said.

Between innings, the clock resets to 2 minutes, 15 seconds. The last warm-up pitch must be thrown by the 40-second mark.

Long, entering in relief to start the third inning, reached the mound with 55 seconds left. He got three warmup pitches.

“I think the warmup pitches are a thing,” Kapler said. “I think our guys are just going to have to get used to that pace.”

While the time of game — 3 hours, 6 minutes — may not seem like an increase in speed from last year, it came in a spring training game with 18 combined runs, 25 total hits, six errors (all by the Giants) and 14 different pitchers used.

“It’s going to make things faster, more enjoyable for the fans and just a better brand, in my opinion,” Kapler said.