May 27, 2015

Faster and Faster

MLB Games are picking up speed:

Games have averaged 2 hours, 52 minutes in May, compared with 2:54 in April and 3:02 last season, according to MLB senior vice president Chris Marinak, who is overseeing the pace-of-game initiatives.

Because the system has operated so well, there continues to be no current plans to implement the system of fines negotiated with the players’ association last winter. Instead, Marinak told ESPN.com that baseball will use rules that were revised late last month, calling for players to be fined only for “repeated” or “excessive” violations.

Cutting time between pitches by one second cut game times by five minutes on average.

As hitters have adjusted to the new rule requiring them to keep one foot in the batter’s box for the duration of an at-bat, MLB has recorded fewer violations per game of that rule in every week of the season, Marinak said. That would appear to be a clear indication that the initial rebellion over that rule, from players such as David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, never has materialized.

Maybe, just maybe, the players like the game better played a little faster. It could be the stepping out and taking time on the mound was just assumed to be good. I have to think that having the game move along has to make things a little better for everyone.

3 thoughts on “Faster and Faster

  1. rbj

    Been to three Mud Hens games so far, where they have the clocks. They do help speed up the games. Before the season I hated the concept, but now I’m a fan. Even the older AAAA players have adjusted well.

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  2. Tom Andersen

    Here’s my personal evidence that Mets games, at least, are faster. We eat dinner late in my household — 8, 8:30, sometimes 8:45. I tune in near the start of the game and then go back to the TV after dinner. In previous years, I’d get to see the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. For that reason, I was a fan of longer games. This year it seems like I’m always getting back to the game when Jeurys Familia is warming up.

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  3. pft

    My sense is the game time is mainly being reduced by shorter commercial breaks. Apparently some RSN’s were taking much longer, approaching ESPN Sunday Night territory. I keep missing pitches and even AB’s between innings doing stuff I usually do (bathroom and kitchen trips)

    Also, while the first 6 innings may have improved the pace of the game, the last 3 innings are still as tedious as ever with endless mound visits and in-game pitching changes. I would love them to end commercial breaks for these and require pitchers enter the game ready to pitch withing 30 seconds of being called into the game (no warm ups, sprint to the mound from the pen). The bullpen is for warming up, no need for further warmups.

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