Back in 2014 when I was on the Pirates beat, I placed a stopwatch on a 3h 37m, nine-inning Pgh-StL game. I timed each occasion a batter stepped out of the box with both feet. Batters stepped out 190 times that game, an average of 12.6 seconds each time. 39m51sec of dead time.
Here's a less obvious problem: foul balls. In 2017, fouls outnumbered balls in play for the first time. And that's only continued each season since, reaching record fouls-per-swing rates (along with record whiff rates) There are even more foul balls in the postseason. ...
This year, the foul-per-strike rate jumped from a near-record 28% in the regular season to a record 30.4% in playoffs (first time above 30% in pitch-track era). It's another drag on the action. There are more seconds between pitches and more pitches between balls in play ...
It's an issue without an easy fix. Pitchers' stuff is so good it's hard to contact (whiffs and fouls), making a ball in play nearly a once-every-5-minute event. That's not good! x.com/scott_simkus/s…
It's an issue without an easy fix. Pitchers' stuff is so good it's hard to contact (whiffs and fouls), making a ball in play nearly a once-every-5-minute event. That's not good! x.com/scott_simkus/s…
ALCS Game 1: 4h7m ALCS Game 2: 4h8m ALCS Game 4: 4h4m All nine-inning games with 8 pm or so est start times. Among many issues, that's a generation of young, EST-based fans - and potential future fans/customers - that are not seeing the end, or much, of playoff games. ...
Another look at foul rates (at record levels) in regular-season versus postseason. Theory: better pitchers in playoffs and outs are more precious:
It adds up. Pace is a major issue. I'm not going to pretend MLB will ever compete with NFL (and now the NBA) for TV ratings. But that 2x as many people tuned in for Bucs-Eagles over a Giants-Dodgers elimination game should be a wakeup call for MLB: x.com/crupicrupicrup…
It adds up. Pace is a major issue. I'm not going to pretend MLB will ever compete with NFL (and now the NBA) for TV ratings. But that 2x as many people tuned in for Bucs-Eagles over a Giants-Dodgers elimination game should be a wakeup call for MLB: x.com/crupicrupicrup…
Regional TV ratings were down, too, this year per @BizballMaury forbes.com/sites/maurybro…
Selig and Manfred have expressed concern about pace in the past but have done little to address it. In fact, the NBA commish, Adam Silver, encouraged Manfred to not worry about it: x.com/billshaikin/st…
Selig and Manfred have expressed concern about pace in the past but have done little to address it. In fact, the NBA commish, Adam Silver, encouraged Manfred to not worry about it: x.com/billshaikin/st…
Sports betting might be great for MLB fan engagement. I think it will help. But I can't get on board with Silver believing MLB pace is good, in any way, for fan engagment. Will prop bets stall efforts to quicken pace? We'll see. ...
Anyways, I will end my thread/rant here. The piece is linked again below. I believe MLB is at a pace/time-of-game crisis point. thescore.com/mlb/news/22039…
@Travis_Sawchik Robo zone, three balls is a walk, second two-strike foul ball is a K. Boom. #MLB
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN Some really good points here. I rarely watch a full baseball because it’s just hard to commit that much time and attention to a game that has large periods of limitd action. Ppl would hate it but limiting the amount of foul balls batters can hit would speed the game significntly
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN Excellent thread. One obvious fix is to limit TV ads...MLB can plaster ads to the screen like soccer does. That's also a decent amount of dead time.
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN This is a great thread, thanks. I don't think there's an easy fix but I do think this is an existential problem for baseball.
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN Enforce a strict pitch clock and batter stay in the box. These games take boring to another level
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN Commercials. That’s the reason.
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN No one ever talks about commercials! Take em out & you'll see 2 hour games, GUARANTEED! Watch the producer at a real game controlling the pace, he's near a dugout or on the field, & he tells the ump WHEN! FOOLS!
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN Oh look another games too long article in the middle of the best time of the year for baseball.
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN The commercial breaks don’t do viewers any favors either. They are longer during the postseason and all of the pitching changes mean more commercial breaks. Did you measure how mich time these breaks added up to?
@Travis_Sawchik @Buster_ESPN Baseball is a thinking man's game while any ogre will watch football, thus the larger audience. I've never seen stats but I'm sure there is way more betting on NFL also 🤔