Baseball exec: Reduce games to seven innings

To wit: The number of times the batter can step out of the box during an at-bat.
Jesus... After every pitch; step out clean cleats, adjust gloves, helmet and crotch.

The game is entirely too slow.

 

I would love to see how much it would speed things up if they simply only allowed pitchers a certain amount of time between pitches. It would force the batter to just dig in and would probably take a good 20 minutes off most games.

 

They really don't. I'd be interested to see how many games per season actually get shortened to 5, 6, 7 or 8 innings. The only time that ever happens is if it's late in the season on get-away day and there's no mutual off-day for them to finish it. Usually, they'll suspend it and finish it off at a later date (or just wait out the rain and finish at 2 a.m. or whatever).

 

I still maintain that the biggest thing is the damned strikeouts. Which kind of goes hand in hand with the pitching changes, since the strikeouts are partially a function of all those specialists. So you have a parade from the bullpen. You have, related to that, record numbers of strikeouts every season.

It's a tedious game to watch. It would be tedious for seven innings, too.

 

That's a valid point. It doesn't fix anything if the game is two innings shorter, but still just as boring and tedious. Speed the game up and nobody will mind the nine innings.

 

They already do, in theory. But no one enforces that rule. Start calling balls or strikes for time-wasting, and stick by your guns, even in an important game, and they'll shape up quickly. But back down even an inch, and it's over.

 

And of course MLB would agree to reduce ticket prices to account for their reduced product and workload, right?

Just an asinine suggestion. MLB needs to speed up the game, not shorten it. There are plenty of other common sense steps (already mentioned by others here) that could be taken toward that goal.

 

The championship game in the local wood-bat summer league last year took 1:28. Granted, that's unusual, and there were only about seven total hits and no pitching changes, but the point is, games can move along. Many of their games are completed in two hours. The local college's games regularly take 2:30 or less.

The problem in MLB isn't the game. It's the players, umps and commercials that slow it down. Stay in the box between pitches, throw the damn ball, and when relievers come into the game, no more than two warmup pitches.

 

How many commercials did they run between innings of this summer league game?

 

Yes, it is. It is absolutely the game. There are a kajillion strikeouts per game and a kajillion pitches per at-bat.

 

They had an actual pitch clock at the NBC World Series in Wichita last time I was there about 10 years ago. That would speed up the game plenty without actually changing it.

 

Yeah, but they need to change the game, too.