Game Five = 2:54

 

Image belongs to Major League Baseball

The 2023 World Series is over with the Texas Rangers beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game Five.  The Rangers were led by pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and a pair of relievers in the five hit shutout.  Actually, the game was closer than the final score indicates.  The Rangers led 1-0 going into the ninth inning before Arizona reliever Paul Sewald blew up and gave the Rangers four earned runs.

19 of the game's 54 putouts, or more than a third, were recorded by strikeout when batters with visions of home runs dancing in their eyes, failed to put the ball into play.  And top that off with another nine plate appearances where the pitchers were unable to locate home plate.  Then toss in four pitching changes and the game which should have been exciting, was a snooze fest.

I didn't watch a minute of this year's World Series because the games continue to be played at a snail's pace despite MLB's efforts to speed them up. (In fairness I did listen to a few innings of the series while in my car, but really didn't care who won.)  The game used to be fun but now it's a one dimensional game with a lot of batters swinging for the fences and striking out at a record pace or waiting out the pitcher because umpires fail to call the strike zone as it is written.

Hopefully the powers at Major League Baseball will wake up before they kill the game.