Game Six = 3:18

It's over and done for another year.  Thankfully.  One of the least entertaining World Series I can recall in the last 60 years came to a merciful conclusion last night in Houston.  For the record the Astros won the series four games to two.  The score last night was 5-2 obviously in favor of the Astros.

The game will not go down in history as memorable except for Houston beating a mediocre Philadelphia team and bringing the series to a close.  This game featured 17 strikeouts and seven walks.  Add to that five pitching changes and well, you get the idea.

According to those who think it's a big deal Jeremy Pena was named the series MVP.  And according to yours truly, Rhys Hoskins was the least valuable player of the Series.

The average time of game this year was 3 hours and 36 minutes.  (That includes game one which lasted ten innings, but that opening game also lasted an ungodly four hours and 34 minutes.)  Game one was the longest game of this year World Series and game three was the shortest coming in at three hours and eight minutes.

Both of my predictions prior to the start of the series were on the money.  I picked the Astros to win in five games (it took six) and I wrote the average time of game would be 3:35.  I missed that forecast by one minute.

Game Five = 3:57

Image owned by MLB

This game started just after seven p.m. and was so long it didn't end until after eleven where I live.  Three hours and 57 minutes is a very long time for a 3-2 game that was won by the Astros in Philadelphia.

The game featured lots of boredom as 24 batters struck out.  That's 44 percent of all of the outs recorded last night.  Chief of the strikeout artists was the Phillies Rhys Hoskins who whiffed four times in five at bats.  That shouldn't be too surprising as this Phillie has struck out 23 times in post season in just 69 plate appearances.  Hoskins also hurt his team in the eighth inning when he booted a ball that ended up giving the Astros a run that turned out to be the game winner.

Here is a look at the times of games for every ten years going back sixty years.

Game 5 - October 10, 1962 = 2:42     Yankees 5 - Giants 3

Game 5 - October 20, 1972 = 2:26     Reds 5 - Athletics 4

Game 5 - October 17, 1982 = 3:02     Brewers 6 - Cardinals 4

Game 5 - October 22, 1992 = 3:05     Braves 7 - Blue Jays 2

Game 5 - October 24, 2002 = 3:53     Giants 16 - Angels 4

In 2012 there was no game five as the Giants swept the Tigers in four games.

As you can see the trend is games have gotten longer and longer as pitching became more specialized, pitchers and hitters failed to stay on the mound or in the batter's box and umpires failed to call the strike zone as it is written.

For baseball more time at the ballpark does not mean improved quality.  If anything it drives the public to other forms of entertainment.  At the same time baseball's popularity has waned the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have all seen huge increases in attendance and rising television ratings.  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see where baseball is headed.

Game Four = 3:25

Image owned by MLB

The fourth game of the 2022 World Series lasted 185 minutes with the Astros shutting out the Phillies 5-0.  Four Houston pitchers led by Christian Javier held the Phillies hitless.  (The game was a no hitter, but to me a true no hitter is one pitcher throwing a complete game, not four guys joining together to keep the other team hitless for nine innings.)  It marked the first time a team had gone an entire World Series game without a hit since 1956, when the Yankees' Don Larsen pitched a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in game five.

As a comparison, that game in the 1956 series lasted two hours and six minutes.  This game lasted one hour and 19 minutes longer.  The Phillies also managed to strike out 14 times, while the Astros whiffed another eleven times.  That means 25 of the games 54 putouts (46%) had absolutely no action on the field except for the batter failing to make contact.

The reason for this is MLB's infatuation with the long ball.  Singles hitters don't get paid their worth, while hitters that strike out over 100 times a year and hit 30+ home runs are getting huge contracts.  MLB is trying to put butts in seats and believes fans would rather see home run derbies than games featuring pitching, speed and defense.  And a whole generation of fans has bought into that mentality.  That has led to more pitching specialists and more money being paid to big league pitchers.  With teams investing in pitchers arms they are more protective of those arms, thus the shortened pitching stints in a game for big league and to a certain extent minor league pitchers. The bottom line is, and it's been this way for a very long time, is the game is big, big business.  The fan can either take it or leave it.

Apparently, more fans are opting to leave it.  The latest ratings reveal that more than 300 thousand TV viewers chose not to watch game two this year compared to the second game of the 2021 World Series.  Why you ask.  The game has become so specialized at the big league level it's boring.  While MLB believes changing rules to implement a pitch clock will speed up the game next year, it must still deal with too many pitching changes and too many plate appearances where nothing happens.

Unless a strong commissioner comes along, who is given the power to make drastic changes, the game will continue to die a slow death.

Game Three = 3:08

Image owned by MLB

The third game of the World Series was completed last night with Philadelphia winning 7-0 in a boring lopsided affair.  The time of the game was three hours and eight minutes, which based on today's standard is not that long.  But in the long history of the game it is very long.  For example game three of the 1962 World Series between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants was completed in two hours and six minutes before a crowd of more than 71 thousand at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees won that game three to two.

Last night's game was marked by the same lack of activity as the first two games of this series.  In total there were 23 plate appearances where the ball was not put into play.  There were "only" six pitching changes this game which helped to speed it up slightly from the first two games.  Still, how dull is it to sit at the ballpark and watch pitchers warm up?  Very dull.  So much so I did not watch the game.

And while I'm ranting, Astro pitchers needs to drill a Phillie slugger in the back after the hitter stands at the plate and admires a home run they've just hit.  Philly you may be the National League champ in the Series, but you've proven yourself to be a bush league team.

GameTwo = 3:18

The Houston Astros bounced back to win game two of the 2022 World Series 5-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies in a game played at Minute Maid Park in Houston.  The game was completed in three hours and 18 minutes.  But, keep in mind Houston didn't bat in the ninth inning.

The game was seven minutes longer than Game Two of the 2021 series between the Astros and Atlanta Braves.  Last night's game was 52 minutes longer than game two of the 1972 World Series between the Oakland A's and Cincinnati Reds.  That game 50 years ago featured A's Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter outdueling the Reds Ross Grimsley 2-1 at old Riverfront Stadium.

Last night's contest featured 24 plate appearances in which the batter failed to put the ball in play.  There were 17 batters who whiffed and seven more that took a walk.  And to drag it out even more there were five pitching changes in a game that was never close.

Game One = 4:34

Image owned by MLB

The first game of the 2022 World Series is behind us.  Philadelphia came from behind to beat Houston 6-5 in ten innings.

The time of the game, in case you didn't look at the headline was four hours and 34 minutes.  Yes, 274 minutes long.  It started just after seven p.m. where I live and didn't end until after 11:30 p.m.  That means 12:30 a.m. along the east coast of the US.  I wonder how many kids fell asleep or had to go to bed before it ended.  MLB you really need to be cultivating those young fans because your future is not bright.

For the record there were 23 strikeouts and nine walks in the game.  That means there was no action on the field outside of the pitcher and catcher where fans watching at the field and on TV waited for the ball to be put into play.  And to add to the boredom there were eleven pitching changes when fans sat around waiting for the game to resume.  Your fans are asleep MLB, but even with next year's planned rules changes to speed up the game you are in trouble.  Wake up!

Fearless World Series Prediction

As I finally get around to writing this, the 2022 World Series is underway in Houston with the Astros leading the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 in the fourth inning of Game One.

After seeing both teams play during the regular and post-season I can say with a fair amount of certainty Houston is superior in all aspects to Philadelphia.  The Phillies momentum has taken them as far as they will go this year..

Houston has the better pitching, hitting and defense.  Phillies bats have come alive in the post season but they haven't faced the likes of Verlander and the rest of the Houston pitching staff.  I don't have a dog in this fight and really don't care who wins.  But, for what it's worth my fearless prediction is the Astros in five games.

Game Six = 3:22

 

The 2021 World Series came to a close last night with the Atlanta Braves being crowned "World Champions".  The Braves won the series four games to two.  The score last night was 7-0 Braves over the Houston Astros.

There were a total of 19 strikeouts, three walks and nine pitching changes.  Houston alone changed pitchers seven times even though it was losing the entire time by a lopsided margin.

The six games lasted a total of 13 hours and 7 minutes or an average per game of three hours and 38 minutes.  This was eight minutes longer than I projected in my pre World Series post.

Game Five = 4:00

For the second time in just five games it took four hours to play a nine inning baseball game.  I don't have the time to waste on these matchups but do from time to time flip channels to see the score.  I live in the Central Time Zone and at 10:00 p.m. this one was only in the bottom of the sixth inning.  I went to bed and found out this morning that Houston won it 9-5 to take the series back to Texas.  Atlanta is up three games to two.

The game was slowed down by nine pitching changes, 16 strikeouts and another eight walks.  The "Fall Classic" is now guaranteed to not end until at least November 2nd.  MLB has to be happy the Red Sox and Cubs aren't playing.

Game Four = 3:45

 

The Braves won again at home 3-2, to take a three to one lead in games over the Astros.

The length of the game was 3 hours and 45 minutes.  The Braves came from behind to win the matchup but it certainly was not exciting unless you though your whole Saturday night should be wasted watching baseball while the NCAA offered a full slate of games.

This game was slowed down by ten pitching changes.  There were 18 strikeouts in which the hitters could not put the ball into play and eight more plate appearances where the hitters watched the ball sail out of the strike zone.

Can  you say "boring"?

Game Three = 3:24

The Braves won the game over the Astros 2-0 to take a two games to one lead.  There were only eight hits in the entire game yet it would have taken nearly three and a half hours of your life to watch it.

There were 17 strikeouts, eight walks and nine pitching changes and it still took 3:24 minutes to play.  In the 60's and 70's this would have been played in about 2:15 and there would not have been near the strikeouts or pitching changes.

The game continues to evolve into a tedious snooze fest.  Perhaps MLB needs to be told it needs less pitching changes and more players who can put the ball into play instead of standing in the box with the bat on their shoulders.

Game Two = 3:11

For a post season MLB game this was played "relatively" quick.  Just three hours and 11 minutes for eight and a half innings of baseball.  But, it wasn't much of a game as the Astros came back to tie the Braves at a game apiece.

There were another 23 at bats in which the batters struck out and there was no action and another four bats where the players watched the pitch go wide or low.  No action for those paying literally hundreds of dollars for their tickets.  And to top it off there were eight pitching changes even though the game was nowhere near close.  Again, long delays where the fans sat around watching nothing because there was no action on the field.

Game One = 4:05

 

Game One of the 2021 World Series is in the books.  For the record the Atlanta Braves won 6-2, to go up one game on the Houston Astros.

The time of the game was 4 hours and 5 minutes.  That's right 245 minutes for a baseball game.  And it didn't go extra innings.  Four hours and five minutes for a nine inning game.

As an indicator of how little action there was here are several key statistics. There were 23 strikeouts, six walks and nine pitching changes.

A Snooze Fest

On Monday I posted about a long boring baseball game played between two American League baseball teams that lasted over 5 hours.  But, in fairness, the game lasted 13 innings.

Yesterday, the length and boredom of playoff baseball got even worse.  The Astros and White Sox took four hours and 32 minutes to play a nine inning game.  The game wasn't close.  Houston won it 10-1 and wrapped up the divisional playoff series between itself and Chicago.

There were a total of 18 strikeouts and eight walks.  But, the real boredom factor was fans had to sit through 11 pitching changes in which there was no action whatsoever.

MLB please wake up because your fans are all asleep. 

Game Seven = 3:42

Image Courtesy Washington Nationals

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals on winning the 2019 World Series over the Houston Astros four games to three.  It's the first time the visiting team has won all seven games in a World Series.  The Nationals came from behind last night to beat Houston 6-2.  It also marks the first time the Nationals / Montreal Expos have won a world series since this franchise came into the National League in 1969.

This final game of 2019 lasted three hours and 42 minutes.  In that time a commercial airliner could have left Washington D.C. and flown to Houston, disembarked its passengers and still had 12 minutes left for them to see the end of the game.  Keep in mind this was a nine inning game.

The average time of game in this year's world series was a tedious three hours and 46 minutes.  The times I have used for all of these games has been published by Major League Baseball in each game's box-score.

All together it took 26 hours and 18 minutes to "play" the seven games.  I doubt too many people watched all seven of the contests from start to finish.  I certainly didn't have a day of my life to lose to these monumental snooze fests.

I wrote it yesterday and I am repeating it now.  Wake up MLB.  If  you want your game to regain its position as the national past time you need to do something soon to speed up the games.  The cosmetic changes you've made the last few years won't cut much time off of them.

I've written repeatedly that to resolve the problem you need to keep the batters in the box and the pitchers on the rubber.  Make the umpires call the strike zone as it is written and stop granting time out to hitters whenever the mood strikes them.  You also need to tell your television partners enough is enough.   Cut back on the commercial breaks
between innings to 90 seconds.  This will speed up the games and return them to the two to two and a half hour time frame most of us grew up watching.

Game Six = 3:37

Image courtesy MLB.

The World Series is knotted at three games apiece and heads to the final game tonight in Houston.  The Nats bounced back in Game 6 to beat the Astros in Houston 7-2 in a game marked by an ugly display of sportsmanship by the Astros Alex Bregman.  And for the sixth consecutive game the visiting team won the game.

Bregman apologized to the Nationals and his teammates for carrying his bat down the first base line and into fair territory before finally dropping it on the infield after homering off of Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg in the first inning.  He may have apologized, but the 25 year old third baseman knows better than to show up the other team and disrespect the other pitcher.  Strasburg and the Nationals handled it well last night.  But, I would almost bet my last dollar Bregman will be repaid the first time the two teams play in Spring Training next year.  Bregman's action was totally uncalled for and he will most likely be sporting a huge bruise on his backside the first time he digs in against any Nationals pitcher.  What makes it likely to happen sooner rather than later is both teams share the same training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.  They are schedule to meet again on February 23rd, 2020.

Juan Soto pulled the same stunt two innings later when he homered off of Astros starter Justin Verlander.  Soto too, ran to first base carrying his bat in an obvious attempt to copy Bregman.  It too was a douche move and he will pay for it next spring too.  He should get drilled even harder than Bregman for his classless move.

I don't recall a World Series in which the visiting has won all of the games.  All of the Series games have been won by home teams three times including 1987 when the Minnesota Twins beat my beloved St. Louis Cardinals four games to three.  It was most recently done in 2001 when the Arizona Diamondbacks out battled the New York Yankees.

Finally, while 3 hours 37 minutes is shorter than the four hour marathons of last week, it is still way too long for grade school kids living in Washington and Houston to stay up to the end of the game.  Wake up MLB!

Game Five = 3:19

Image courtesy MLB.

The Houston Astros won Game Five 7-1 over the Washington Nationals to take a three to two lead in games and move within one game of winning its second title in three years.  And for the fifth time in five games the visitors got the win.

This became the fastest game played in this World Series at 3:19.  Notice I did not write just 3:19 because three hours and 19 minutes for a 9 inning game is still way too long.

The teams are off for a travel day today.  The 2019 World Series will continue in Houston tomorrow evening at seven p.m.

Game Four = 3:48

Image courtesy MLB.

This was the quickest game of the series to date as the Astros again beat the Nationals 8-1.  Houston tied the 2019 World Series
at two games each and returned home field advantage to themselves.  This game also marked the fourth of four times in this series the visiting team won.

Game five is scheduled for tonight.

Game Three = 4:03

Image courtesy MLB.

This was the longest game of the 2019 World Series yet as the Houston Astros bounced back to beat the Washington Nationals 4-1.  It was painfully slow and some of the at bats were almost unbearable to watch.

I got home from a completed high school football game that started the same time as Game three only to find the baseball game in just the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Zimmerman was the hitter and he wandered in and out of the batters box like a puppy lost in new surroundings.  Zimmerman eventually struck out but I swear the AB lasted ten minutes.

As a point of comparison, in the four hours and three minutes the game lasted a person could have left O'Hare airport in Chicago and flown to LAX in Los Angeles.  The distance between the two cities is 2100 miles.

The series is set to resume tonight with Game four.

Game Two = 4:01

Image Courtesy MLB

Game Two of the 2019 World Series was won by the Washington Nationals 12-3 over the Houston Astros.  The game moved at a snail's pace and last over four hours.  That is way too long for a nine inning baseball game.  The first six innings were interesting.  In the 7th the Nats blew it open with a six run inning that seemed to last forever.  I watched early on in the game but then turned it off to watch the last hour of ABC's comedy night.  And the sitcoms were more interesting than the World Series.  Game Three will be played on Friday night in Washington D.C.