2021 Misc. MLB News

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The commercials are worse in football imo because they directly interfere with the pace of play. If they take 2 minutes or 3 minutes between an inning it really makes no difference to me as a viewer. Occasionally you'll have a ridiculous stretch watching an NFL game where like 8 minutes go by and 23 seconds have come off the clock. Timeout, commercial, run play, flag, officials talk for a minute, command center guy babbles, oh, wait, official decided no flag. Coach is mad, he has to yell for a while. Ok, here's a play. Ooh, nice catch...or was he out of bounds? Let's take a look at this upstairs.

 

There are sequences in almost every game where I just want to throw a brick at the TV not because of a particular outcome but just because of the pace, the obsession with getting every detail "right", and most of all, the number of times this obsession still leads to a wrong call.

 

And if I had to single out MLB's biggest problem, I wouldn't even look at pace or duration. I'd say it's simply how inaccessible the local teams games are for most people.

Edited July 15, 2021 by OldSchoolSnapper

[xisxisxis]

FROM: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/4/5/22367871/mlb-pace-of-play-problem-getting-worse

 

Back in 2017, SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee wrote this article comparing similar games (scores, hits, etc.) from 1984 and 2014 and concluded:

 

Time between pitches is the primary villain. I tallied up all the pitches in both games that we’ll call inaction pitches — pitches that resulted in a ball, called strike, or swinging strike, but didn’t result in the end of an at-bat or the advancement of a runner. These are the pitches where the catcher caught the ball and threw it back to the pitcher, whose next step was to throw it back to the catcher. Foul balls didn’t count. The fourth ball of a plate appearance didn’t count. Stolen bases didn’t count. Wild pitches didn’t count. Just the pitches where contact wasn’t made, and the pitcher received a return throw from the catcher.

 

There were 146 inaction pitches in the 1984 game.

 

There were 144 of these pitches in the 2014 game.

 

The total time for the inaction pitches in 1984 — the elapsed time between a pitcher releasing one pitch and his release of the next pitch — was 32 minutes and 47 seconds.

 

The total time for inaction pitches in 2014 was 57 minutes and 41 seconds.

 

That’s it. It’s the time players spend standing around, adjusting batting gloves, getting signs, taking deep breaths before pitches (yes, you have seen this, and if you haven’t, watch the next game you see closely), basically not playing baseball.

(Incidentally, Grant’s article is well worth your time if you haven’t previously read it.)

 

Rob Manfred’s changes that are supposed to improve pace of play — the automatic intentional walk, limits on mound visits, the three-batter minimum — literally cut seconds off the length of games. Here’s an article by Cliff Corcoran at The Athletic showing the math on what the three-batter minimum would have done in 2019:

 

Over the course of the 2,429 major-league games played in 2019, those 691 pitching appearances work out to just one every 3 1/2 games. If, in every case, the new rule eliminated the mid-inning pitching change entirely, it would have made the average time of a major-league game in 2019 (drumroll, please) … 34 seconds shorter.

 

Thirty. Four. Seconds.

After rounding, the rule would have reduced the average time of game from a record of 3:10 to a record of 3:09.

Thanks, Manfred, for giving us 34 seconds back.

 

The single thing that would truly improve pace of play and shorten games is the pitch clock. Period, end of story

[MrTPlush]

It isn't all about the literal length of a game. Part of it is how long it feels. Some of the things Manfred has done have definitely helped that. Watching a game can already feel like a drag....but when you are throwing 4 pitches just to walk a guy or you get 3 mound visits in one AB that two minutes feels like an hour. It is like the throws over to first. It may not waste much time, but it sure does annoy people and make them think it is taking forever. Add a few of these mini, but incredibly frustrating delays, and people get pretty annoyed.

 

They aren't going to make a baseball game take 2 hours. However, they can do things to make it feel like the actual three hours it is instead of feeling like an eternity.

[pitchleague]

Simba, have there been that many games <2:30 Because those are seven inning doubleheader games?

[jerichoholicninja]

I've been playing mens amateur ball for 15+ years. A 9 inning game for us takes 1:45 to 2:30 (even that is rare). Whether the score is 1-0 or 11-10 games take about 2 hours with 15 minutes either way. The two biggest time savers are guys not mulling around between pitches and half inning breaks only take about a minute. Nothing is ever going to change about inning breaks in MLB because that's where the money comes from. Although I wouldn't care if they ran commercials over the first few pitches of an inning with the game in a small box in the corner like NASCAR does. Something needs to be done about the time between pitches. Umpires need to make the batter stay in the box and get the pitcher to throw the pitch.

[Dragonbait]

Do relievers need to throw so many pitches on the mound, after warming uo in the bullpen?

[Underachiever]

Do relievers need to throw so many pitches on the mound, after warming uo in the bullpen?

I always thought it had as much to do with getting used to the mound, than it was about the actual pitches thrown.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Do relievers need to throw so many pitches on the mound, after warming uo in the bullpen?

 

Yes, and it's no different for baseball at any other level - mounds on the field are different than in bullpens.

 

Agreed in general the biggest time suck on MLB baseball is how much time there is between pitches during at bats - a big chunk of that at the game's highest level is the batter's routines and analytics driving pitcher/catcher interactions and pitch selection. Maybe a pitch clock is the answer.

[jerichoholicninja]

Do relievers need to throw so many pitches on the mound, after warming uo in the bullpen?

I always thought it had as much to do with getting used to the mound, than it was about the actual pitches thrown.

 

That's what they say but who cares, deal with it. Limit it to 2 throws on the game mound. Let's keep the game moving.

[homer]

Do relievers need to throw so many pitches on the mound, after warming uo in the bullpen?

I always thought it had as much to do with getting used to the mound, than it was about the actual pitches thrown.

 

That's what they say but who cares, deal with it. Limit it to 2 throws on the game mound. Let's keep the game moving.

 

Don't think I want my closer taking a chance on wrecking his knee just to speed up the game.

[jerichoholicninja]

Don't think I want my closer taking a chance on wrecking his knee just to speed up the game.

 

That's not going to happen. If there's that big of a difference between bullpen mounds and game mounds then MLB needs to do something to make sure there is some consistency between the two.

[homer]

Don't think I want my closer taking a chance on wrecking his knee just to speed up the game.

 

That's not going to happen. .

 

Oh, well in that case. Never mind I guess.

[BruisedCrew]

I've been playing mens amateur ball for 15+ years. A 9 inning game for us takes 1:45 to 2:30 (even that is rare). Whether the score is 1-0 or 11-10 games take about 2 hours with 15 minutes either way. The two biggest time savers are guys not mulling around between pitches and half inning breaks only take about a minute. Nothing is ever going to change about inning breaks in MLB because that's where the money comes from. Although I wouldn't care if they ran commercials over the first few pitches of an inning with the game in a small box in the corner like NASCAR does. Something needs to be done about the time between pitches. Umpires need to make the batter stay in the box and get the pitcher to throw the pitch.

 

Maybe having robo umps calling balls and strikes would serve two purposes. In addition to greater consistency in calling balls and strikes, the home plate umpire could concentrate more on keeping the game moving.

[tmwiese55]

I think it's not so much the mounds are built different. Its that previous pitchers beat it up as the game goes on, their feat hit in different places, etc. so They need to get their landing zone sorted and make sure it's all good. Just don't see this as too much of a solution these days with all the player safety emphasis. IDK what the rule is now, say they get 5 mins maybe you can trim to 4, but 30-60 seconds a couple two three times a game is not getting you too far and again it doesn't really get to the pace/slowness of the play.

[TURBO]

I've been playing mens amateur ball for 15+ years. A 9 inning game for us takes 1:45 to 2:30 (even that is rare). Whether the score is 1-0 or 11-10 games take about 2 hours with 15 minutes either way. The two biggest time savers are guys not mulling around between pitches and half inning breaks only take about a minute. Nothing is ever going to change about inning breaks in MLB because that's where the money comes from. Although I wouldn't care if they ran commercials over the first few pitches of an inning with the game in a small box in the corner like NASCAR does. Something needs to be done about the time between pitches. Umpires need to make the batter stay in the box and get the pitcher to throw the pitch.

 

Maybe having robo umps calling balls and strikes would serve two purposes. In addition to greater consistency in calling balls and strikes, the home plate umpire could concentrate more on keeping the game moving.

 

 

Imagine an IGT with no ump complaints.

 

That would cut the posts in half. (seriously)

 

[mtsportsfan]

Would like to just say haha to MLB for trying to force the Yankee , red Sox rivalry down our throats and making them the only scheduled game tonight , only to have it cancelled. Haha

[markedman5]

Cubs start the selling by trading Joc Pederson to the Braves.

[Simba2020]

Simba, have there been that many games <2:30 Because those are seven inning doubleheader games?

No, I discarded all games that were not 9 innings in length. In theory I suppose, one of those games could have been part of a 7 inning DH but it would have gone 2 extra innings for a total of 9.

[RightFieldCoder]

Imagine an IGT with no ump complaints.

 

That would cut the posts in half. (seriously)

 

No it wouldn't. We'd just complain that the robots obviously got hacked.

[LouisEly]

FROM: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/4/5/22367871/mlb-pace-of-play-problem-getting-worse

 

Back in 2017, SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee wrote this article comparing similar games (scores, hits, etc.) from 1984 and 2014 and concluded:

 

Time between pitches is the primary villain. I tallied up all the pitches in both games that we’ll call inaction pitches — pitches that resulted in a ball, called strike, or swinging strike, but didn’t result in the end of an at-bat or the advancement of a runner. These are the pitches where the catcher caught the ball and threw it back to the pitcher, whose next step was to throw it back to the catcher. Foul balls didn’t count. The fourth ball of a plate appearance didn’t count. Stolen bases didn’t count. Wild pitches didn’t count. Just the pitches where contact wasn’t made, and the pitcher received a return throw from the catcher.

 

There were 146 inaction pitches in the 1984 game.

 

There were 144 of these pitches in the 2014 game.

 

Certainly not debating the time between pitches (although this data was for two specific games, so it is a bit of a small sample and could be attributed to the specific pitchers/hitters in the 2014 game), but one thing I have been wondering is how the number of foul balls in today's game compares to the number of foul balls from years ago. It seems like, and I have no data to prove this, there are a lot more foul balls now because of better pitching and less concern about strikeouts. Foul balls take up a lot of time (fielders chasing if they are close to or in the field of play, getting the ball back to the pitcher, getting balls to the ump if he is out, etc.), much more so than the return of an inaction pitch, and result in longer at-bats.

 

Also, anecdotally, stadiums have reduced foul territory to get fans closer to the field (and thus increase those seat prices), which would suggest more foul balls out of play and not caught, resulting in longer at-bats.

[xisxisxis]

FROM: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/4/5/22367871/mlb-pace-of-play-problem-getting-worse

 

Back in 2017, SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee wrote this article comparing similar games (scores, hits, etc.) from 1984 and 2014 and concluded:

 

Time between pitches is the primary villain. I tallied up all the pitches in both games that we’ll call inaction pitches — pitches that resulted in a ball, called strike, or swinging strike, but didn’t result in the end of an at-bat or the advancement of a runner. These are the pitches where the catcher caught the ball and threw it back to the pitcher, whose next step was to throw it back to the catcher. Foul balls didn’t count. The fourth ball of a plate appearance didn’t count. Stolen bases didn’t count. Wild pitches didn’t count. Just the pitches where contact wasn’t made, and the pitcher received a return throw from the catcher.

 

There were 146 inaction pitches in the 1984 game.

 

There were 144 of these pitches in the 2014 game.

 

Certainly not debating the time between pitches (although this data was for two specific games, so it is a bit of a small sample and could be attributed to the specific pitchers/hitters in the 2014 game), but one thing I have been wondering is how the number of foul balls in today's game compares to the number of foul balls from years ago. It seems like, and I have no data to prove this, there are a lot more foul balls now because of better pitching and less concern about strikeouts. Foul balls take up a lot of time (fielders chasing if they are close to or in the field of play, getting the ball back to the pitcher, getting balls to the ump if he is out, etc.), much more so than the return of an inaction pitch, and result in longer at-bats.

 

Also, anecdotally, stadiums have reduced foul territory to get fans closer to the field (and thus increase those seat prices), which would suggest more foul balls out of play and not caught, resulting in longer at-bats.

They are attempting to perform a controlled experiment. As they indicated it's hard to find a video of games from the 80's which has the timing information and ISN'T copyrighted to perform this type of analysis. Ideally if the information was available for most games then a complete analysis could be performed, but the facts are very revealing:

 

On April 13, 1984, the Mets played the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The home team won, 11-2. Both teams combined to throw 270 pitches. Both teams combined to allow 27 baserunners, and 74 batters came to the plate. There was exactly one mid-inning pitching change.

 

On April 17, 2014, the Brewers played the Pirates at PNC Park. The home team won, 11-2. Both teams combined to throw 268 pitches. Both teams combined to allow 27 baserunners, and 75 batters came to the plate. There was exactly one mid-inning pitching change.

 

The game from 1984 lasted two hours and 31 minutes.

 

The game from 2014 lasted three hours and six minutes.

 

Our goal is to figure out where the extra 35 minutes came from.

 

The difference in commercials from 1984 to 2014 was:

 

1984 game had 33 minutes and 13 seconds of commercials

2014 game had 42 minutes and 36 seconds of commercials

 

So 9 minutes and 23 seconds more of commercials.

 

The other big increase was due to an increase in inaction pitches as I first quoted:

 

1984 — the elapsed time between a pitcher releasing one pitch and his release of the next pitch — was 32 minutes and 47 seconds

2014 was 57 minutes and 41 seconds.

 

So 24 minutes and 54 seconds more for non-baseball activities like the batter stepping out, adjusting his gloves, taking practice swings, getting set in the box, adjusting his package, staring at the pitcher, the pitcher staring back, stepping off, rubbing the baseball, shaking off 5 pitches, starting again, shaking off a pitch, the batter stepping out and in, the pitcher staring for a sign, maybe a shakeoff and finally, yes finally the pitch.

 

Combined the increase in commercials and boring stuff the players do accounts for 34 minutes and 19 seconds of the 35 minutes of increased time when controlling for pitches, hits, runs, basically everything else that can be approximately equal. Sure, they could have gotten lucky and accidently hit on 1 game where the time difference is skewed toward the boring player crap that is mind-numbingly dumb, but the fact they almost account for the entire time difference in 2 known areas where games are slowing down is pretty amazing.

 

Are we going to change commercial time? Not as long as it pays the bills

 

Are we going to see a pitch clock? Eventually if more fans stop tuning in or turning up because the pace of baseball makes paint drying seem like a high action entertainment option or if the demographics keep skewing to your grandparents game then baseball may act.

[NYChez]

Marquee matchups with the Astros / White Sox, Padres / Nationals, even Brewers / Reds … and MLB Network goes with yet another yawner of a Red Sox / Yankees game.

[markedman5]

 

Roster move:

 

INF J.D. Davis has been reinstated from the 60-Day IL.

 

OF Billy McKinney has been designated for assignment.

[markedman5]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/07/jacob-degrom-halts-throwing-due-to-forearm-tightness.html

[PinaMadness]

Marquee matchups with the Astros / White Sox, Padres / Nationals, even Brewers / Reds … and MLB Network goes with yet another yawner of a Red Sox / Yankees game.

In their defense, they and ESPN don't know there are more than two teams in MLB.