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The Evolution of Game Timing in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball has seen a reduction in the average time of a nine-inning game to 2 hours and 36 minutes in the first full month of the season, marking a 1-minute decrease from the previous year. This change comes as MLB implemented a pitch clock for the second consecutive year, despite objections from the players’ association.
Pitch Clock Adjustments
MLB made adjustments to the pitch clock, lowering the timer to 18 seconds from 20 when there are runners on base. The timer remains at 15 seconds when there are no runners. Last season, the average game time increased throughout the course of the season, reaching 2 hours and 44 minutes in September.
The season average game time of 2 hours and 40 minutes last year represented a significant 24-minute decrease from 2022 and marked the lowest average since 1985. However, union head Tony Clark expressed concerns that the pitch clock may have contributed to an increase in pitcher injuries, referring to the timer as “an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset – the players.”
Impact of Pitch Clock
On April 22, games averaged a swift 2 hours and 22 minutes, the fastest timing recorded for a day with at least two nine-inning games since 1986. This figure was 7 minutes shorter than the fastest day in the previous year, indicating a positive impact of the pitch clock on game pace.
The time required for pitching changes has also decreased to an average of 2 minutes and 36 seconds following a modification this year that set the clock to 2 minutes from 2 minutes and 15 seconds after the pitcher crosses the warning track.
Notably, clock violations have reduced to 0.32 per game from 0.70 at the same point in the previous season, with games without violations increasing from 52% to 74%. The average number of violations decreased progressively from 0.38 in the first week of the season to 0.26 in the sixth week.
Teams such as Colorado, Kansas City, Oakland, and Toronto have been particularly disciplined, each recording only one violation so far. Major League Baseball also saw a decrease in the overall batting average from .249 in the first month of the previous season to the current .239, following the implementation of restrictions on defensive shifts.
These changes in game timing and pace reflect MLB’s ongoing efforts to enhance the spectator experience and efficiency of gameplay, while also considering the impact on player performance and well-being.
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