Losing interest in baseball

[davepratt]

I'm a big baseball fan and a huge Jays fan but I'm losing interest. The games are taking way too long. It's over 3.5 hours into tonight's game with the Twins and still going. To me the biggest cause is players stepping out of the batter's box after every pitch. Come on. Make the batter stay in the box after the pitch. No more going for a stroll.

[Mr22putt]

I'm a big baseball fan and a huge Jays fan but I'm losing interest. The games are taking way too long. It's over 3.5 hours into tonight's game with the Twins and still going. To me the biggest cause is players stepping out of the batter's box after every pitch. Come on. Make the batter stay in the box after the pitch. No more going for a stroll.

Record Blue Jays in 30 and watch it in FF....that's what I do...lol.
Problem solved.

[johnny canuck]

I'm a big baseball fan and a huge Jays fan but I'm losing interest. The games are taking way too long. It's over 3.5 hours into tonight's game with the Twins and still going. To me the biggest cause is players stepping out of the batter's box after every pitch. Come on. Make the batter stay in the box after the pitch. No more going for a stroll.

I lost interest a while ago. Admittedly, I haven't followed it too much recently. I thought they had put in efforts to speed up the game. What happened?

[mpare]

I'm still an avid fan, but I agree, Dave, that the games take too long. Keeping the boys in the box would definitely speed things up. If some hitters figure out a way to still dawdle, then umpires shouldn't be too quick to toss a pitcher, who threw a bit of chin music at such a hitter.

[Benz]

Only a few years ago there was a rule that the batter could only leave the box under certain circumstances. This was an effort to reduce batters checking their shoes, gloves, helmet, pads, etc. after every pitch. Apparently, this initiative did not catch on.

I would like to see a pitch clock.

[johnny canuck]

Only a few years ago there was a rule that the batter could only leave the box under certain circumstances. This was an effort to reduce batters checking their shoes, gloves, helmet, pads, etc. after every pitch. Apparently, this initiative did not catch on.

I would like to see a pitch clock.

That's what I was thinking of. I was sure they couldn't leave the box. I'm surprised they didn't keep going with that. A pitch clock would be great.

[Pimento Cheese]

That's what I was thinking of. I was sure they couldn't leave the box. I'm surprised they didn't keep going with that. A pitch clock would be great.

They really only enforced that for one season, 2015. Then the practice of stepping outside of the box crept back in again.

In 2015, the length of the average game dropped from 3.02 hours to 2.56 hours. Granted, that 3.02 hours was, at that point, an outlier, because prior to 2014 the average length of a game wasn't much longer than it was in 2015. But after 2015 ... the average length of a game has been 3 hours or longer every season. It's 3.07 so far this season.

But have a look at this chart:

• MLB average game length US 2022 | Statista


The batters box rule would make a difference. The pitch clock is likely coming in, too. But I must be a bit dozy, because I'm not sure why the length of the game shifted so dramatically after 2013. Aside from that one correction year in 2015, games have been a half-hour longer since 2015 than they were between 2000 and 2013. It's an astonishing increase.

I don't remember 2014 seeing a dramatic uptick in players stepping outside the box, so I can't put my finger on what the issue was been.

One thing they'll never change is the long commercial breaks between innings and during pitching changes. Umpires will still have to wait for the designated time to elapse before allowing play to continue. Sadly.

Edit/Note: I'm not sure how accurate that chart is; it seems to be from a reliable source, but now that I look around I'm seeing different numbers.

[Arthur Dailey]

I lost interest a while ago. Admittedly, I haven't followed it too much recently. I thought they had put in efforts to speed up the game. What happened?

I blame Nomar Garciappara.

Stepping out of the box after every pitch and re-adjusting his batting gloves.

I seem to remember a rule years ago that a batter needed to request 'time' from the ump to step out of the box?

The pitch clock is being used in the minors and according to commentators is working 'quite well'.

[Benz]

I blame Nomar Garciappara.

Stepping out of the box after every pitch and re-adjusting his batting gloves.

I seem to remember a rule years ago that a batter needed to request 'time' from the ump to step out of the box?

The pitch clock is being used in the minors and according to commentators is working 'quite well'.

That is the one guy I cite as the absolute worst offender.

He would re-adjust absolutely everything after every pitch, even if he didn't take the bat off his shoulder.

Thankful that he is no longer in MLB.

[Cyrus]

This leads to an interesting thought ( question ).Would it benefit the hitters or the pitchers by speeding up the time between pitches ?

[Chambokl]

I blame Nomar Garciappara.

Stepping out of the box after every pitch and re-adjusting his batting gloves.

I seem to remember a rule years ago that a batter needed to request 'time' from the ump to step out of the box?

The pitch clock is being used in the minors and according to commentators is working 'quite well'.

I was just going to say . . . all the little league guy that were imitating him join the Major after 2012 . . .

[Chambokl]

This leads to an interesting thought ( question ).Would it benefit the hitters or the pitchers by speeding up the time between pitches ?

I would say neither . . . they both have their bad habits . . . some pitchers would love it and some hitters would also be happy. Others, not so much . . .

[hookminor]

I thought that the new rule of a pitcher having to throw to a minimum of 3 batters would speed things up a little bit. For a while, it seemed like managers were changing pitchers every 1-2 batters in the late innings.
The games do take a little long...I certainly agree with that statement.

[Benz]

This leads to an interesting thought ( question ).Would it benefit the hitters or the pitchers by speeding up the time between pitches ?

I suspect it would be the pitchers. I sense that the pitchers wait for the batters to 'get set' more than not.

[Bosco]

Similar to golf - I can only watch the majors - in the case of baseball, it’s the playoffs that I devote some time to - the in season games - need to tighten it up big time.

I did go to a jays game at end of April that finished really fast - we had scheduled more time to be at the dome - ended up going for dinner afterwards as we had extra time.