Major League Baseball needs to fix their problem with game length to keep fans interested in the game.
In 1988, only one team in the MLB had an average game length of over three hours. In 2014, only the Mariners have an average game length under three hours, at 2:59 In 1988 the average length of a baseball game was 2 :30. Several factors like longer at-bats, more pitching changes and the new instant replay have increased the average game length.
Batter’s longer hitting quirks and rituals have increased at-bat times. Instead of standing in the batters box for the whole at-bat, players leave it to adjust gloves, take of their helmet, or simply walk around. If a rule was made saying a batter could only leave the box for more than 15 seconds, the pace of the game would increase.
Players leaving the box isn’t the only reason for longer at-bats. More time between pitches also causes longer at-bats. Between pitches, an average of 49 seconds passes. This is the time it takes for the catcher to throw the ball to the pitcher and for the pitcher to pitch the ball. While 49 seconds may not seem like a lot of time, with an average of 148 pitches thrown per game this means just waiting for a pitch to be throw takes up 2.5 hours per game. If rules such as the 12 second rule, which makes pitchers throw the ball 12 seconds after getting it, were expanded to include batters, the length of time it takes to play a baseball game would decrease significantly.
Pitching changes are also a problem for baseball. Each game averages of four pitchers. A pitching change only lasts about a minute, but a pitching change is rarely made without several on-mound meetings from the manager or the catcher. These meetings take about a minute, but with multiple meetings per pitcher it adds about 15 minutes to the game. If there was a limit to how many meetings could take place between players before a pitching change, the amount of dead time in the game would decrease.
The new instant replay rules increase average game times. Under the new rules, a manager gets one replay per game that can only be used in the first six innings of the game. To request a replay, managers have meet with the umpire, an already long break in the game, request a replay, and then the umpire must decide whether the play can be reviewed or not. Only after all of that occurs can a review actually be made. To cut down the time it takes to make a replay call, managers should make a call straight to the review booth and request it, so the game isn’t stopped for so long.
Baseball was never a short game. It has always taken a long time to play, but the amount of time it takes to play a game in 2014 is ridiculous. To keep fans interested, the MLB needs to make rule changes that increase the pace of the game which will make the game more interesting.