Does Baseball Have to Be So Slow?

The Wall Street Journal ^ | May 1, 2014 | BRIAN COSTA

[MinorityRepublican]

The Boston Red Sox spent last winter basking in the afterglow of their World Series victory. They also spent some of it pondering a couple of questions: Why do their games take so long? And what should Major League Baseball do about it?

At the request of commissioner Bud Selig, the perennially slow-paced Red Sox formed a committee of seven team executives to study the issue and recommend changes for the league as a whole. A volunteer corps of 30 front-office staffers spent over 350 hours combing through video of Boston's 2013 regular-season games, charting every little drag on the pace of play.

The Red Sox, whose games averaged an MLB-high 3 hours 15 minutes in 2013, are only about halfway done with the project. But the fact that such a committee even exists shows how little progress MLB has made in its attempts to speed up the game.

"This is one of the most critical issues facing baseball as we move forward into the next three, five, seven years," Red Sox chief operating officer Sam Kennedy said.

Selig has expressed concern about the pace of play for years. It has become almost cliché for fans to grumble about hitters stepping out of the batter's box, pitchers pacing around the mound and—no, not another pitching change! But for all of the attention the issue has received, the speed of the game continues to reach new lows.

Entering Thursday, the average game time this season was 3:08, according to Stats LLC. Never mind comparisons to the days of flannel jerseys and black-and-white telecasts: That is 13 minutes longer than the average time in 2010.

[cripplecreek]

I’m still a little mixed on the new home plate rule about catchers not blacking the plate. After the beating Alex Avila took all last season I do understand it.

I think it has made scoring from 3rd a little easier.

[hattend]

The new rule doesn't outlaw blocking the plate. You, as a runner, just can't blatantly be trying to take the catcher out and the catcher can't block the plate if he doesn't have the ball. They didn't really outlaw the practice, they are just trying to prevent players from needlessly going to the hospital...or having careers/seasons ended early.

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On February 24, 2014, Major League Baseball and the MLBPA jointly announced an experimental rule—rule 7.13—intended to increase player safety by eliminating "egregious" collisions at home plate. The rule goes into effect starting with the 2014 season. Some highlights of rule 7.13 include:

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A runner may not run out of a direct line to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher, or any player, covering the plate. If he does, the umpire can call him out even if the player taking the throw loses possession of the ball.

The catcher may not block the pathway of a runner attempting to score unless he has possession of the ball. If the catcher blocks the runner before he has the ball, the umpire may call the runner safe.

All calls will be based on the umpire's judgment. The umpire will consider such factors as whether the runner made an effort to touch the plate and whether he lowered his shoulder or used his hands, elbows or arms when approaching the catcher.

Runners are not required to slide, and catchers in possession of the ball are allowed to block the plate. However, runners who do slide and catchers who provide the runner with a lane will never be found in violation of the rule.

The expanded instant replay rules, which also go into effect this season, will be available to review potential violations of Rule 7.13.[3]

[cripplecreek]

Thanks for the clarification. He can’t block the plate unless he has the ball.

The replay rule hasn’t been the disruption I feared. It was used a lot in the first 2 weeks as managers tested the boundaries but seems to have fallen off a lot.

[sergeantdave]

Increase the size of the baseball to 36 inches in circumference so the batter can hit every pitch. Take out second and third base to cut down time on running bases.

[riverdawg]

“Hockey is a year's worth of excitement packed into three 20-minute periods.”

Only if Kate Upton was my date to the game.

[miss marmelstein]

But why do the elites (not saying you, sir or madam!!!) love the Red Sox? Is it the Boston connection? It’s like libs loving the Mets here in NYC. I support the Yankees from family tradition and because it’s a big capitalist pig of an organization! My kind of team!

[Ransomed]

They should be able to cut the time down more. I don’t like the umps having to get these WWII looking phones and radio equipment. Have the home plate ump with an earpiece so someone can tell him from NY that he is consistently blowing the outside corner calls or whatever. No one has to know, he doesn’t get shown up, and he can actually make an adjustment.

Freegards

[Verginius Rufus]

In The Pride of the Yankees (it must have been), Lou Gehrig promises a kid he meets in a hospital that he will hit two home runs for him that day. At what will clearly be his last time at bat in the game, the pitcher is intentionally walking him. Gehrig has already hit one home run. He manages to hit one of the pitches that was way out of the strike zone for the second homer.

Apparently that never happened in a real game played by Gehrig...but your proposal would have made it impossible.