Baseball Is Getting Slower Again
This is when we’re supposed to hunt for potential trends, right? We can look at the home runs. We can look at the strikeouts. We can look at the walks. We can look at the strike zone. We’re always trying to see where baseball might be going. What’s another potential trend? Baseball has slowed down! Again.
In 2014, the average game lasted about 188 minutes. In 2015, the average game lasted about 181 minutes. The improvement was modest, but still cause for celebration, as the league wanted to increase the pace of play. Unfortunately for them, things slid back some of the way last year, when the average game length bumped up to 185 minutes. And in the early going this year? We’re at an average of 191 minutes. All the gains of 2015 have been erased, and then some, and this isn’t because there has been, say, an unusual number of extra-inning contests. Last year’s average game had 76 plate appearances. This year, the average is…76 plate appearances.
So, what’s going on? Oh, right. Players love doing nothing.
I don’t know if it’s the hitters or the pitchers or what, but the time between pitches has shot up by nearly a second and a half. Pace was already trending up heading into 2015, when baseball passed a few new pace-related rules. Remember the one about staying in the batter’s box? Right, all that. There were short-term gains, but the players have slipped into old habits due to a lack of enforcement. I guess it’s not even old habits. By this measure, the old habits have gotten worse and more exaggerated. An extra second here and there is nothing, but it all adds up, given that hundreds of pitches are thrown for every nine innings.
This isn’t a judgment post. Some people mind that baseball has gotten slower. Some people don’t mind at all. My opinion is my opinion alone, and I would never assume everyone else feels the same way I do. How you feel is how you feel, but the facts right now point to baseball once again slowing down. And if that trend keeps up, I’d think that pitch clocks are an inevitability. Rob Manfred, see, has his opinions, too, but his opinions turn into actions. I just get to sit here and write about them.
Jeff made Lookout Landing a thing, but he does not still write there about the Mariners. He does write here, sometimes about the Mariners, but usually not.
Nominating Suter of the Brewers vs. Jay of the Cubs for the fastest pace I’ve ever seen in an at-bat. It was amazing.
I don’t mind the games lasting longer in theory – I actually like baseball. It is a real bummer that the games are longer due to non-baseball events though. The replays have been atrocious this year!
This. There are few things more un-baseballish than instant replay.
This is a serious issue whether you’re a “purest” or not. Who has 4 hours to watch a game?
I’m always skeptical that people who think games last 4 hours actually watch games.
I usually assume they’re watching Yankees/Red Sox games
PITCH CLOCK. STAY IN THE BOX. PITCHING CHANGE LIMITS.
Are you not entertained?
Is it just me or is the MLB’s ‘shrinking’ of the strike zone completely antithetical to wanting to speed up the games? More balls, more walks, more hitter’s counts, probably more home runs, more pitchers walking around the mound huffing after not getting close strikes, more mound visits, and on and on…
Their actual concern is pace of action. A smaller zone would, in theory, mean more action. Pace of game is just a proxy focus with strikeouts out of control.
Are games just longer in the first week of the season for any reason? How long were games in the first week of the season over the last few years? Just sayin’, it might be an Opening Week thing.
I am sure this has been looked at before but why were the games shorter years or decades ago. I can think of RP as a reason.
Perhaps Pitchers could be encouraged to legally “quick pitch” more often. This would force hitters to get ready in the batter’s box earlier.
Alternatively, a pitcher could start his motions as soon as the umpire sets up behind the catcher regardless of what the hitter is doing.
was sort of indifferent about the pace of play debate until I watched a 1957 world series game on youtube (I’m crushingly lonely). The pace was remarkable, mostly due to the lack of batters taking a walk after every pitch. I do think it made for a better, more action-filled game.
Why can’t MLB force the umpires to do their damn jobs? Not enforcing rules is the entire issue, right?
Good news, Manfred has decided to do something about it! No, there’s not a plan that works like shortening commercial breaks or a pitch clock. No, instead he’s decided to eliminate walks entirely! If the batter wants to walk, the dugout signals the umpires that they want their batter to walk, and he’s awarded first base. No more pesky at bats that end in a boring walk. The offensive teams simply asks for a walk and gets it. Problem solved!
The new no pitch intentional walk rule will eventually decrease the total minutes of games in the end of season. I’d rather have 4 minutes of review that ensures the winner and the loser of game than have 4 minutes of, you know, meaningless pitches.
It is not about pure or not pure. Game is changing to current technology and to present, that’s all.
I don’t mind the length of games. What terrifies me about this is that any step in this direction is going to lead to Manfred attempting more drastic measures, such as pitch clocks, which I hate.