Last night, the Boston Red Sox completed a very important series win over their arch rivals, the New York Yankees, winning the finale by a final of 3-0.
Michael Wacha was sharp in his return from the injured list, going seven innings and not allowing a run.
The game was a pitcher’s duel between Wacha and Yankees starter Jameson Taillon.
But one of the biggest takeaways from the series finale was not so much that the Red Sox beat the Yankees, but more so that the game lasted just over two hours.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe noted that last night’s game was tied for the shortest game between Boston and New York since they had a two-hour, 13-minute affair back in 1994.
They also had a two-hour, 15-minute game back in 2018.
That was the length of last night’s game.
This was tied for the shortest Red Sox-Yankees game since a 2:13 game in 1994. There was also a 2:15 game in 2018.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) August 15, 2022
Nice And Easy
This is what baseball wants.
Ever since 2015, commissioner Rob Manfred and other MLB personnel have been trying to speed up the pace of the game.
When you get a pitcher’s duel like that, it’s bound to be a short game.
Both Taillon and Wacha were on point last night.
There was a game earlier this year between two of Wacha’s old teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.
That game didn’t even last two hours, as both Miles Mikolas and Shane McClanahan had dominant outings.
But this was the ideal game for Major League Baseball.
It was a nice pitcher’s duel that went very quickly and didn’t experience too many interruptions.
It was nice and quick as the two historic rivals breezed through the game and provided a glimpse at what Major League Baseball wants.
A pitch clock may be implemented next year.
We’ll see if that speeds things along and gives us more games like last night’s.
