MLB Failing to Eliminate Pace-of-Play Problems By Speeding Up Baseball

InsideHook ^ | September 6th 2019 | EVAN BLEIER

[Jacquerie]

Despite efforts to speed up baseball, the average time of a nine-inning game in Major League Baseball is three hours and five minutes.

That equals the mark which was set in 2017, after which MLB and the players’ association responded by limiting the number of mound visits per game. Other time-saving measures including shortened breaks between innings and eliminating pitches being thrown during intentional walks have been imposed, but MLB games still drag on a snail’s pace.

One of the biggest reasons games are taking so long is that batters are more focused on hitting home runs and pitchers are more focused on getting strikeouts. That combination has led to batters seeing an average of 3.92 pitchers per plate appearance, the highest mark in the 21 seasons the stat has been tracked.

In order to cut down on wasting time with pitching changes, pitchers will be forced to face at least three batters starting next year.

[morphing libertarian]

used to be 1 minute between half innings. Now 3.5 minutes of commercials and 4 in the playoffs.

[Alberta's Child]

Football should be played in five-minute quarters, with the clock stopping every time the whistle blows.

That would lengthen the average playing time in a game by a margin of 30%-45%, believe it or not.

[Ransomed]

I hate this. A manager should be able to use his pitching staff how he wants. Just like he should be able to position his players where he wants in the field. It’s on these lefty sluggers to figure out how to beat the shift.

Freegards

[morphing libertarian]

side issue, I think that used to be 20 seconds. No one every counted that. In 69 at al somers umpire school we were told to ignore it.

[morphing libertarian]

robots coming to call balls and strikes

[Bulwyf]

I enjoy playing it, and used to be quite good at it on the A rep teams, but for the life of me, I can’t watch it.

In all fairness though, I can’t watch any sports, I have too much reloading to do heh.

[60Gunner]

So freaking what? A football game is three hours. You don’t like baseball, nobody is putting a gun to your head to buy a ticket or watch it on the telly. Quit your bitching.

[Mr. Mojo]

Yeah, I think 20 seconds is more reasonable than 12. But again, enforcement is key.

[Dr. Sivana]

Stop screwing around with the game. It is what it is, and it isn't a timed event. Don't like it? Watch something else.

Some of the changes are trivially silly. A regular intentional walk takes less time than an at bat where the runner is protecting the plate by fouling-of pitches, or the runner on first is forcing pick-off throws.

[Dr. Sivana]

Cut the game to 2 innings.

And reduce the outs to one per inning.

One ball is a walk.

One strike is an out.

That will still leave plenty of time for commercials.

Under those rules, 99% of games will go into extra innings. A whole lot of them. At least you should n't have to have a lot of pitcher changes.

[morphing libertarian]

the 12 was a result of the last attempt to speed up the game and then they added commercials between innings

[Alberta's Child]

The Yankees hit four home runs in a game last week. They won the game by a 4-3 score.

I don't know what sport these guys are playing, but it sure ain't baseball. I'm trying to figure out if its batting practice, the Home Run Derby, or batting practice for the Home Run Derby.

[Mr. Mojo]

The Yanks have 5 more tonight.

[DFG]

I have lived in the DFW area since 1991 but I grew up in Vallejo, CA in the SF Bay Area. Baseball has always been my favorite sport and I have been following the Oakland A’s since I was a 5th grader in 1972. My 5th-8th grade classmate was a neighbor of Joe Rudi. I still follow the A’s closely. My local team, the Texas Rangers, could never win a World Series while playing outside in the Texas heat but that could change now that they will start playing indoors next year.

The pendulum has swing too far in favor of the batter. To shorten games, I propose the following to reduce walks, increase strike outs, and reduce home runs:

1) 1968 was the year of the pitcher. The mound height was changed from 15” to 10” after the 1968 season. Raise the mound height a few inches to around 12” or 13”. The higher mound favors pitchers as they are pitching more downhill.

2) Increase the size of the strike zone. There are currently too many walks because the strike zone for some umpires is ridiculously small. Also standardize the strike zone. There is too much variance. A larger strike zone would encourage batters to swing the bat more. There are too many full counts these days.

[IrishBrigade]

Yes, go to a seven inning game, five fouls equals a strikeout, and once toeing the rubber, pitchers cannot step off...batters cannot leave the box between pitches, and alimit on mound visits needs to be imposed (or needs imposed, as they would say in Pennsylvania)...

[Alberta's Child]

Managers don't show smarts anymore. Heck -- they don't even MANAGE anymore. That's why you don't see any more colorful personalities managing MLB teams these days.

The manager's job today is to do whatever the GM's computer tells him to do in any given situation.

[doorgunner69]

Yep, the pitchers of old didn’t take a full minute between pitches like many in today’s game do.

Caveat, I am not a watcher, but my youngest brother is, so I have sat through a few.

Funniest video poke at the excruciatingly slow pace was last year or so with some wag interposing the running of the Kentucky Derby starting and ending in between pitches of some game.

[wastedyears]

[wastedyears]

Hockey players are tougher than baseball players

[PAR35]

Set a timer on the pitches. If the pitch isn’t delivered on time, it’s counted as a ball, and the timer resets. 5 seconds to get the ball back to the pitcher after a play ends. Once the batter gets in the box, the pitch timing starts, if he isn’t ready for a pitch, too bad if the pitcher can deliver in the strike zone. 10 seconds to get a replacement bat to the batter if a bat breaks. Pitchers can only be replaced at the end of an inning, if they are pulled out during an inning, two weeks before they can pitch again.