MLB: Pace of play rules for 2018

CyForPresident

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Mar 28, 2006
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I think it's possible but it would mean giving up ad money and I doubt that's going to happen. Have managers make pitching changes from the duggout and give relief pitchers 5 warm up pitches....make a total time limit/game for mound visits etc etc. But again, that means less/shorter commercial breaks. Is that going to fly?

Also, you'd probably have to forgo a lot of it in September and the postseason.

Don't need to cut any commercials, just add more actions. For example, there are 18 two minute commercials guaranteed for every game. One commercial at the half-inning and one at the end of the inning. That's 36 minutes of commercials guaranteed. Now, how often does action start back up when they come back from commercial? NEVER. Pitchers keep throwing warm-up pitches and players walk around aimlessly while the balls goes around the horn. Just start the game back up immediately after a commercial.

Assuming 1 minutes of nothing after each commercial, that's 18 minutes right there.
 
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ca4cy

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Dec 6, 2009
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Don't need to cut any commercials, just add more actions. For example, there are 18 two minute commercials guaranteed for every game. One commercial at the half-inning and one at the end of the inning. That's 36 minutes of commercials guaranteed. Now, how often does action start back up when they come back from commercial? NEVER. Pitchers keep throwing warm-up pitchers and players walk around aimlessly while the balls goes around the horn. Just start the game back up immediately after a commercial.

Assuming 1 minutes of nothing after each commercial, that's 18 minutes right there.

That'd be great. It seems simple enough...which is probably why it won't happen.
 

BryceC

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Mar 23, 2006
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Football takes longer than baseball. You can’t make a baseball game 2 and a half hours. It just won’t happen this day and age unless they get rid of umpires calling balls and strikes. A definitive strike zone every game would make the game go so much faster.

I'm all for automating balls and strikes. The fact that they don't do it already is crazy to me.

As for game times - there is no reason why they last 3 hours. It's absurd. They are significantly longer than they used to be, and some pitchers (RIP Roy Halladay) consistently went 30 minutes under league average game time.

We should just look at what he did, how he worked, and make it industry standard.

https://baseballwithr.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/tribute-to-ron-halladay-master-of-short-games/
 

SCyclone

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Mar 11, 2014
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I agree. How hard is it to just step one foot out, get the sign and step back in. That is a rule that the umpires refuse to enforce which is stupid. They are supposed to give a warning then give a strike without a pitch being thrown. I have never even seen a warning given.

Chuck Knoblauch used to be the champion of that crap. After every pitch - step out, readjust your batting gloves, tug on your helmet, look down the left field line, stare at your bat, shurg your shoulders, anchor the back foot, s-l-o-w-l-y step in and...........Good grief.