Major league baseball has been flummoxed by the length of baseball games. In a video game, instant gratification culture, a four hour baseball game is "too long" according to the guardians of the game.
The league has been tinkering with ideas to speed the process of play. The critical area is the ballet between pitches - - - the batter getting out of the box to adjust his gloves, kick some dirt, squeeze the bat to the pitcher shaking off pitchers and scuffling around the rubber.
However, there are a few examples that the game is fine if players are smart about it.
Chris Sale threw a 100 pitch complete game on Sunday.
The time of the game: two hours eight minutes.
Quick. Effective. A breeze on a hot Sunday afternoon.
Why was this contest so speedy?
Sale took the return throw from his catcher, and toed the rubber and fired. He did not wait. He got into a rhythm. He threw strikes and out pitches. He was efficient and had control. If pitching is an art form, Sale splashed the box score canvas like Picasso.
The pitcher can control the time of the game more than anyone else. Don't think, just pitch. The catcher throws down a sign, toss. Don't keep looking to the dugout for signs. Keep your defense focused on the game. Everyone is happy.
Why other pitchers don't follow this strategy is unknown.
Mark Buerhle, the former White Sox hurler, is another catch and quick toss his pitches. Buerhle who is not an overpowering pitcher, is currently 10-1, 2.10 ERA, 1.193 WHIP for the Blue Jays. Most of the games he starts last less than three hours.
If a pitcher throws even 5 seconds faster than his normal routine, in 100 pitches he can shave 17 minutes off the game time.
There was once a thought of putting pitchers on a basketball shot clock, but no one could figure out how many seconds to charge the battery and then what would be the penalty (a ball call?) Certain aspects of the game, such as throwing towards home plate, should remain consistent with historical precedent. Coaches just need to teach their pitchers to throw faster and more efficiently in order to cut down game times.
