MLB wanted games to be faster, and the pace to be quicker.
With a series of rule changes, you could say they achieved that goal.
The average time of games has fallen significantly compared to 2022, and with the introduction of the pitch clock that limits time between pitches, things have become more exciting.
The vast majority of games don’t reach three hours, and some of them are completed in less than two hours.
There are always exceptions to the rule, though.
Last nights 12-inning game between the A’s and Diamondbacks was the first game this season that took longer than four hours to complete
(h/t @CodifyBaseball) pic.twitter.com/BEuxUmRsKr
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 17, 2023
On Tuesday, the Oakland Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks played a 12-inning marathon.
The league, with the ghost runner, has also introduced a tool to help prevent long extra-inning contests.
Games like the one on Tuesday will happen from time to time, though.
The A’s earned a walk-off win against the D-Backs in 12 innings and over four hours.
We had several four-hour games in MLB by this point of the season last year.
However, it was the first of its kind in 2023.
There weren’t too many fans in the Oakland Coliseum for reasons we are all familiar with, but fans watching on TV had a blast and enjoyed some free baseball well into the night.
Ryan Noda hit a game-tying grand slam in the bottom of the seventh, and Esteury Ruiz sent everybody home with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th.
We really hope you enjoyed the show on Tuesday night, because chances are you probably won’t see too many games exceeding four hours anytime soon.
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