How to Fix Baseball, Part V: Speed Up The Game. Really.
It’s the one big problem that never gets solved with baseball: The games are too damn long. Everyone wants MLB to speed up its games, but it never does, and in the meantime, the games are getting longer.
The average length of a regular season game is now well over three hours. Meanwhile, the 2014 World Cup proved one of the appealing advantages of Soccer over baseball: Regulation games rarely lasted more than two hours.
We live in a more caffeinated society than our parents and grandparents, who grew up with baseball, did. We don’t have the time to sit around all day and watch the game. We want to dive into the game for a couple of hours, get our fill of entertainment, and then move on to the next thing. We’re busy. We’ve got things to do.
But how can you shave 30 minutes off of a game with no time limit? The Atlantic League has figured out a few things, so it’s not like there is no precedent. All MLB has to do is much of the same: Enforce the rules. Along those lines, here are a few ideas:
Enforce Rule 8.04: Make Pitchers Pitch the Ball
There is only one rule on the book regarding game length: Rule 8.04.
When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call Ball. The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball.
The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays.
This is both part of the solution and part of the problem. While enforcing this rule more tightly will speed up games, the only issue is that this rule only applies with the bases empty. And, as we know, baseball games get long when guys are on base, not off. Fortunately, there is another rule that umpires can enforce more stringently:
Enforce Rule 6.02: Make Batters Stay in the Box
This one should not be hard, but the problem is that the only people who can enforce this are the umpires. Batters constantly leave the box with impunity, slowing the game. I give you Rule 6.02:
(a) The batter shall take his position in the batters box promptly when it is his time at bat.
(b) The batter shall not leave his position in the batters box after the pitcher comes to Set Position, or starts his windup.
PENALTY: If the pitcher pitches, the umpire shall call Ball or Strike, as the case may be.
If you enforce this rule, you will force the batter to stay in the box. Once they get a few strikes after lollygagging around in the box, they’ll get the message.
Rule 6.02(b) Comment: The batter leaves the batters box at the risk of having a strike delivered and called, unless he requests the umpire to call Time. The batter is not at liberty to step in and out of the batters box at will.
Duh. But the way the game is run now, you almost think it’s the other way around.
Umpires will not call Time at the request of the batter or any member of his team once the pitcher has started his windup or has come to a set position even though the batter claims dust in his eyes, steamed glasses, didn’t get the sign or for any other cause.
The batter doesn’t get time whenever he wants. The umpire has to grant it. So stop granting time all the time.
Umpires may grant a hitters request for Time once he is in the batters box, but the umpire should eliminate hitters walking out of the batters box without reason. If umpires are not lenient, batters will understand that they are in the batters box and they must remain there until the ball is pitched.
But of course, umpires are lenient. They need to stop being so. In other words, just enforce the rules that are on the books now.
Furthermore:
(c) If the batter refuses to take his position in the batters box during his time at bat, the umpire shall call a strike on the batter. The ball is dead, and no runners may advance. After the penalty, the batter may take his proper position and the regular ball and strike count shall continue. If the batter does not take his proper position before three strikes have been called, the batter shall be declared out.
Sometimes you just have to be a jerk and call a strike. Stop waiting for the walk-up music and make the betters get in the box an stay there. The rules are on your side, umpires.
One Pitching Change per Inning
Let’s call this the Tony LaRussa Rule. There is no reason for a team to use four pitches and have every one of them take their sweet time warming up. However, teams should still be allowed to pull a pitcher who is in trouble during an inning. So here’s a compromise:
A team may remove and replace a pitcher once during an inning. Teams may not use more than two pitchers in an inning. Once a manager makes a pitching change after an inning has begun, that’s it. That guy has to finish the inning.
The only exception should be if the second pitcher suffers an injury.
But Jeff, what about situational pitching?
What about it? You can still make one situational change. But the spirit of the game is that a pitcher’s job is to get batters out, no mater how they hit. So this will force managers to think long and hard about that valuable pitching change.
Tell the Managers to Hurry Up
This is so freaking annoying, and you agree with me on this. Why does it take 10 minutes for an old guy with a beer belly to walk out in his uniform and then decide to make a change? Again, this is something that can be mitigated without a rule change.
When the manager comes out of the dugout and calls for time, the umpire should walk out the the mound at the same time. At that point, the manager has to make his decision. If he delays, there should be consequences.
Here’s how to think about it: If you wear a uniform, your rear end has to hustle.
Let’s Think About a Run Rule
Yes, I know. But hear me out.
One team is up 12–1 after four innings The rest of this game is a wash. Viewers flee, crowds disperse, and the game dies on the vine. So let’s do what teams at every other level do: Shorten already-decided games.
An MLB game is official after five innings. So let’s end the game if a team is up by 10 runs or more after six full innings (or more if the deficit expands after that). There is no sense in boring us or showing people sleeping in the stands. This would also save bullpens in the long run. There would be some exceptions, of course:
- If the winning team has a no-hitter going, we keep playing to see if they get it.
- The run rule does not apply during the playoffs.
But Jeff, you should always have to get 27 outs to win!
No you don’t. MLB ends rain-shortened games all the time.
Now some contrarians are arguing that game length shouldn’t be an issue, because football. This is a preposterous argument. Football plays once per week, on the weekends in the afternoon, when we have free time. Baseball takes place six days a week for eight months, most often at night. I have work in the morning, so I’m not staying up that late.
Another ridiculous proposal put forth the idea of shortening all games to seven innings. This is also a misguided knee-jerk reaction. All it takes to go a long way to shortening games is making the umpires actually do their job. Tough, I know. Lord knows they are busy figuring out ways to tick people off.
Others are saying, “Too bad, get used to it.” I refuse. Baseball has to adapt or die. Speeding up the game will definitely aid in the game’s survival.
