How long is a Baseball Game? MLB 2024 Guide
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, widely known as “America's national pastime.” The sport has also gathered significant global popularity, particularly in Latin America and Asia. With an average stadium attendance of more than 25,000 thousand fans, the MLB still holds a lot of sway in the hearts of American sports enthusiasts.
The game of baseball is known for its cerebral nature, involving an ongoing chess match between pitcher and batter. Significant game events, such as home runs, key strikeouts, and dazzling defensive plays, hold considerable sway. The slow pace of play enables fans to take in each nuance of a game and makes for a thinking person's affair.
By the same token, some baseball modernists have decried that the game does not move fast enough. Many baseball thinkers believe this may contribute to a decline in popularity or lack of growth for the sport. That brings us to the question: how long is a baseball game?
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How Long Is a Baseball Game in 2023?
There has never been a better time than the present to discuss the length of an average baseball game. In 2023, a pitch clock has been introduced for the first time in the history of Major League Baseball. This clock allows 15 seconds for each pitch with the bases empty and 20 with runners on.
While other measures have been taken recently to speed up gameplay, this is the most profound. With the introduction of this clock, average game times are down by around 30 minutes in 2023. According to the MLB’s official Twitter account, they’ve dropped to around 2:37 so far this season, down from 3:07 in 2022.
This is the lowest average game time since 1984 when they averaged 2:35. The sample size is still relatively small as the season is young. Still, it appears that we should see average game times in the 2:30 - 2:40 range as long as the current pitch clock rules are in place.
Key Takeaways
- The length of a baseball game is determined by a variety of factors, including the number of runs scored, managerial decisions, and other gameplay considerations. Baseball has no game clock and lasts until the game is completed, generally over nine innings.
- As of 2023, the Major League Baseball (MLB) introduced a pitch clock for the first time, allowing 15 seconds for each pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on. This has significantly reduced the average game length by around 30 minutes, bringing it down to about 2 hours and 40 minutes.
- Several rules have been implemented in recent years to speed up gameplay and increase offensive production. These include banning the defensive shift, enlarging bases, and adopting the designated hitter in the National League as of 2022.
- In addition to the pitch clock, new rules in 2023 include making the 2020 temporary rule of placing a runner on second base in extra innings a permanent one.
- Offensive production, calls to the bullpen, replay reviews, slow pitchers and batters, pick-off moves and batter timeouts, arguments and fights, player and umpire injuries, weather delays, and extra innings can all contribute to longer game times.
- The longest professional baseball game ever was a minor league game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, which lasted 33 innings over 8 hours and 25 minutes. The longest-ever MLB game in terms of time was a 25-inning match between the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers in 1984, lasting 8 hours and 6 minutes.
- The objective of a baseball game is for a team to score more runs than the opposing team. The game lasts nine innings, or eight and a half if the home team is ahead after the top of the ninth. If a game is tied after nine innings, it goes into extra innings until a team leads at the end of an inning.
- As of 2023, an average inning lasts about 16 to 18 minutes. Despite changes to the game's rules and pace, MLB games have generally increased in length over time, with the recent introduction of the pitch clock being a significant factor in reducing game duration.
How Offense Has Increased, but the Game Is Still Faster
Interestingly, other measures have occurred going into the 2023 season to increase offensive production. This included banning the defensive shift, which enabled placing three or four infielders on one side of the field.
Infielders can no longer position themselves on the outfield grass. Larger bases have been instituted, going from 15 to 18 inches. This should increase steals while reducing player injuries.
The base changes, the pitch clock and associated rules for holding runners on base, and the shift elimination are major moves toward offensive production. We have seen a notable increase in steals (both attempted and successful). This is in addition to the overall offense (runs up 1.4 per game and a 20-point league batting average increase).
On top of it, the MLB adopted the designated hitter in the National League as of 2022, yet another boon to offense. Teams scoring runs generally equates to longer games. Still, the pitch clock's impact is so significant that we still see a 30-minute reduction in average game lengths.
It appears that the MLB's efforts to speed up gameplay and increase offensive production simultaneously are working. Still, time will tell if these numbers hold steady throughout the 2023 season.
The Average Length of a Baseball Game
Contrary to sports like football, basketball, and hockey, baseball has no game clock. There are there quarters, halves, or periods. A baseball game lasts as long as it lasts to complete without a timed clock for the game.
Baseball games last nine innings. In each inning, there are two halves.
In the first half, the away team bats, and the home team pitches/fields. In the second, the home team bats, and the away team pitches/fields.
If the home team is ahead after eight and a half innings, there is no need for them to bat, and the game is over. This scenario inherently shortens the length of the game.
If both teams are tied after nine innings, extra innings ensue, equivalent to overtime in games like basketball, football, and hockey. In extra innings, the innings continue until there is a winner.
The length of games is fluid and determined by how long it takes to finish nine innings (or more in the case of extra innings). Many factors go into the average game length, including how high-scoring the game is and other considerations.
As a general rule of thumb, baseball games have historically gotten longer and longer over time. Until the introduction of the pitch clock, average times in the modern era clocked in at a little over three hours. We are in uncharted territory with a rule that has taken us back in time close to 40 years in average game length.
All that to say, if you go to an MLB game in 2023, barring extra innings, you can expect it to last about two hours and 40 minutes. This is a significant change from recent years.
The Goal of a Baseball Game
The objective in baseball is to score more runs than the opposing team. Batters hit against pitchers, attempting to get on base or hit home runs. Base runners must cross home plate in one fashion or another to score runs.
When a team is pitching/fielding, they want to stop opposing hitters from reaching base and crossing home plate. When a team is batting, the objective is to get on base, cross home plate, and score runs.
How Many Innings in a Regular Baseball Game?
Baseball games that end in regulation last eight and a half innings or nine innings. This depends on whether the home team is ahead after the top of the ninth.
If the game is tied after nine innings, it goes into extra innings. These last until a team leads at the end of an inning. There are occasional exceptions, such as games that are called early due to weather.
How Long Does a Baseball Inning Last?
Traditionally, the average baseball inning lasted about 20 minutes in recent times. Yet, the length of each inning could vary drastically depending on whether hitters are getting on base and other factors.
An inning will last as long as it takes for a team to get three outs, which can either happen rapidly or take considerable time. As of 2023, we are seeing shorter average innings due to the introduction of the pitch clock, closer to the 16-18 minute range.
What Adds to the Time of Baseball Games?
Since baseball game lengths are dynamic, one might wonder why some games are longer than others. Let's take a look at a few of these contributing factors.
Offensive Production: When teams are scoring runs, innings take longer.
Calls to the Bullpen: When a new pitcher comes in, they warm up on the mound, stopping play.
Replay Reviews/Managerial Issues: On-field replay reviews cease play and take time. Occasionally, there will also be delays due to umpire concerns with rules being followed regarding manager substitutions.
Slow Pitchers and Batters: The time taken between pitches (pitchers and hitters can both contribute to this) can be significant. This will be reduced with the new pitch clock rules.
Pick-Off Moves and Batter Timeouts: Pitchers holding runners on and hitters taking timeouts slow down gameplay. New rules associated with the pitch clock should help with this
Arguments and Fights: Verbal disagreements or brawls between players and managers/coaches on opposing teams will tack on some minutes in games. Players and managers can also get into arguments with umpires.
Player and Umpire Injuries: Even when a player or umpire is not replaced, injury timeouts will lead to extended innings when players and umpires are hit by balls or experience other issues.
Weather Delays: Often, a game will be delayed for as much as hours while waiting for rain to pass.
Random Occurrences: Unusual delays can occur occasionally, such as animals/spectators on the field or electrical/lighting issues, though not super common.
Extra Innings: Of course, when a game goes to extra innings, extended game lengths ensue.
The Ways Baseball Is Trying To Speed Up the Game
Baseball game lengths have increased, and American attention spans have gone in the opposite direction. Thus, the MLB has made efforts to increase the pace and length of baseball games. Some of these rule changes have fallen by the wayside, but most are here to stay.
This is much to the chagrin of many baseball purists, but ultimately, the fans don't make the decisions. Let's look at some of the rules introduced in recent years to decrease the length and increase the speed of games.
New Rules To Speed Up the Game
2017
In 2017, the MLB started moving toward increasingly aggressive initiatives to speed up games. A rule was introduced allowing a signal to indicate an intentional walk to a batter rather than requiring four pitches to be thrown outside the strike zone.
2020
In 2020, we saw a significant push to shorten games. For one, a rule was instituted in which a pitcher must face at least three batters in an appearance or pitch to the end of a half-inning.
This was in an attempt to reduce the time it takes for multiple calls to the bullpen in an inning. It was frequent that managers would bring in relievers to face one or two batters, particularly left-handed specialists.
We also saw a rule putting a runner on second base to start each half of every inning in extra innings. This drastically reduces the chances for extra innings to go on indefinitely. This rule was considered highly controversial among baseball purists.
Seven-inning doubleheaders were also instituted, although this change only remained during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and not beyond.
2023
After a quiet couple of years on the rule change front, we saw some very significant new developments in 2023. For one, the runner on second base in extra innings rule of 2020 was made permanent. Until 2023, this had been considered a temporary rule that may or may not remain.
The most critical rule impacting game length and pace was the introduction of the 15-20 second pitch clock in 2023. Due to this development, we have seen a 30-minute average decrease in game times.
The Longest Game Ever in Baseball History
What was the longest game in professional baseball history? The answer depends on whether you are discussing Major League Baseball or professional baseball in general.
The longest professional baseball game of all time was a minor league game. It was a Triple-A game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, lasting 33 innings. Eight hours and 25 minutes of playing time were required to finish this affair.
In Major League Baseball, the longest-ever game in terms of innings was played in 1920 between the Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Braves. The game could have lasted longer but was called due to darkness.
In this era, games were played by natural light, and stadiums did not have adequate lights for gameplay. The game ended in a tie, as was possible at this time when games were called due to darkness.
Due to the nature of baseball in this era, the game only lasted 3 hours and 50 minutes. This is an excellent touchpoint showing how much the average length of games increased over the years.
In terms of time, the longest-ever MLB game was a 25-inning affair between the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers which happened in 1984. It lasted eight hours and six minutes and was completed over two days, with the White Sox emerging victorious 7-6.
Due to the new extra innings rule, which puts a runner on second base at the beginning of each half-inning, we will likely never see games like this again. Despite much pushback from many traditionalist fans, the rule appears to be here to stay. We will have to harken back to times past to reflect on these types of marathon affairs.
Conclusion
Baseball games have, by and large, increased in length on a reasonably consistent, though at times ebbing and flowing curve since the early 1900s. Still, for the game we have known for years now, when the question of "how long does a baseball game take" came up, you'd generally say around 3 hours.
For the first time in a while, this has considerably changed with one of the most significant rule introductions in the game's history. Assuming the pitch clock in its current iteration is here to stay, we will likely see games closer to two hours and 40 minutes on average.
FAQ
How Long Does a Baseball Game Take?
In 2023, the average baseball game has been around two hours and 40 minutes.
How Many Innings Are in a Baseball Game?
A baseball game last nine innings, or eight and a half if the home team leads after the top of the ninth. If a game is tied after the ninth inning, it goes on into indefinite extra innings until a team leads at the end of an inning. Games can occasionally end earlier than nine innings in the case of weather delays.
How Long Does One Inning Take in Baseball?
As of 2023, an average inning takes around 16 to 18 minutes.
What Is the Objective of Baseball?
The aim is to score more runs than the opponent by the end of the game.
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