Buehrle has always been a quick pitcher. Gets the ball back and throws. Pitches like he has a cab waiting, as the old saying goes.

it seems to me that most of the games are going MUCH faster.

but i sure DO wish that the other pitchers woud work as fast as buerhle.

i also think they have cut down the number of seconds between innings...

Mark's always been fast and quick with his delivery, don't be surprised at how fast his games go. I think the Umps are enforcing the 20-seconds-per-pitch rule more now than they used to, although I think they're making an exception for Steve Trachsel (whenever he comes off the DL), since Trachsel's the slowest pitcher in the majors.

If more pitchers pitched the fast way like Buehlere does, we'd have faster games and the fans would be able to go home that much quicker in time for dinner :)

He always seems to me to just, well, not think on the mound. Gets the ball, gets the signal, nods, windups, and throws.

Repeat.

I always thought that his quick pitching was to A) Prevent him from out-thinking and analyzing himself on the mound, B) Perhaps to keep him pitching longer into games and C) To keep hitters off balance.

Buehrle's speed in pitching, not the speed of his pitches, may be his best asset in a single at bat and over the course of a season. By not thinking too much, staying within himself, and not overthrowing, Buehrle avoids injury and fatigue in games. And, as I said before, he doesn't leave hitters too much time to get comfortable.

This guy could teach a pitching clinic. 31 straight starts lasting at least 6 innings. Buehrle's one of the very best in the majors, and I mean that. He pitches way more effeciently than I write, for instance. Sorry 'bout the real long post.

PS- Is it me, or is Mark Buerhle the Bizarro Kerry Wood. Could you pick two pitchers who are more polar opposites than those two? I'd rather have Buehrle than Wood, in the long run, though.

And right below this post is the graph about the decline in complete games...Priceless. Would that be irony?

If Buerhle got traded to the Orioles and then he faced the Yankees, what would happen? O's-NY games seem to always go four hours, is this the unstoppable force hitting the immovable object ?
And are advertisers happy with sub two hour games?

Advertising time is not dependent on the speed of the game. They get the same amount of time between innings no matter how fast the game goes. I think it just makes it more difficult for radio announcers to get their ads in.

Seems like a good place to repeat Jim Kaat's quotation about his arm turning into a pumpkin after two hours (quote courtesy of Bill James). It's not just the pitch count that tires pitchers, it's the duration of the game.

Martin

Probably right about Jim Kaat...I hadn't considered that standing out on the mound with all that stress, even while not throwing too many pitches, could be tiring too.