How Much Action In a Typical 3-Hr ML Baseball Game ?

[Go2Guy]

WSJ had an interesting article about how much action time is observed for a typical baseball game: about 18-minutes in a typical 3-hr game, or about 10%.

Downtime:
Time bt pitches: 1:14:49
Time bt batters: 33:39
Time bt innings: 42:41


"....What's the bottom line? When we compare total action to total down time—even including debatable action such as pitches, trots and pickoff throws—total action time is 17:58. The average game time was 2 hours and 58 seconds, so the action portion of a typical game is 10%. That leaves 90% of the game as down time...."

The Action in a Baseball Game Is About 18 Minutes - WSJ.com

 

[Clonefan32]

This might actually be one of the things I like about baseball. You can turn on a game, clean the house, surf the web, go outside for a little while, etc. It's great to have on in the background on a lazy summer day.

 

[Go2Guy]

This might actually be one of the things I like about baseball. You can turn on a game, clean the house, surf the web, go outside for a little while, etc. It's great to have on in the background on a lazy summer day.

I like studying the Catcher's signals and predicting what he's calling and the placement.

 

[cydsho]

If you google "amount of action in a football game" a WSJ article from 2010 appears and claims the NFL has 11 minutes of action. I guess we should just watch bball or hockey.

 

[CloneIce]

More time to drink beer, eat hot dogs, and look at the hot women in the stands.

 

[NATEizKING]

Finally some facts to prove what we all know, sport sucks.

 

[klamath632]

Action and baseball are the last two words I would put in the same sentence. The difference between football and baseball is the difference between a summer blockbuster and an Academy Award winner.

My favorite thing about baseball? It is timeless. It really is never over until it's over. You can be down 11 runs in the ninth inning and still have a chance to come all the way back and win. Try coming back from 17 down in the final two minutes of a football game.

 

[MNCYWX]

WSJ had an interesting article about how much action time is observed for a typical baseball game: about 18-minutes in a typical 3-hr game, or about 10%.

Downtime:
Time bt pitches: 1:14:49
Time bt batters: 33:39
Time bt innings: 42:41


"....What's the bottom line? When we compare total action to total down time—even including debatable action such as pitches, trots and pickoff throws—total action time is 17:58. The average game time was 2 hours and 58 seconds, so the action portion of a typical game is 10%. That leaves 90% of the game as down time...."

The Action in a Baseball Game Is About 18 Minutes - WSJ.com

That's a lot of time to enjoy some beers!

 

[CloneIce]

This might actually be one of the things I like about baseball. You can turn on a game, clean the house, surf the web, go outside for a little while, etc. It's great to have on in the background on a lazy summer day.

Exactly. Rarely do you ever watch every pitch intently. When you are home you can do whatever, its great in the background. At the ballpark is a relaxed atmosphere, much different than a football game.

Love baseball, even though it is completely different from my other favorite sports - college football and college basketball.

 

[JP4CY]

More time to drink beer, eat hot dogs, and look at the hot women in the stands.

Are you a cameraman for WGN?

 

[cowboycurtis]

How much action in a typical soccer match: The 2 seconds when they score the one goal.

 

[Cyclonin]

Are you a cameraman for WGN?

I picture all WGN cameramen to be overweight dirt balls. Thank god for them.

 

[247cy]

MLB could do a better job of speeding up games by instituting something like a 1 minute substitution clock that starts the minute a manager steps foot out of the dugout and begins walking towards the mound. Pitching changes (I'm looking at you Tony LaRussa) in later innings draw out the end of games. I'd be interested to see the average pace of a MLB game before the 5th inning and then after.

Relievers have supposedly warmed up in the bullpen, but then get to trot in from the outfield and throw more warm-ups from the mound. Networks love this because it gets them an instant commercial break to sell more ads - probably the reason a change like this would never happen. You get managers who make righty/lefty specialist pitching changes and you can get 2 or more pitching changes in a half inning. Things slow to a crawl.

I think this 'study' is a little lax on what is 'action' and what isn't. There is a ton of action in a baseball game (especially when runners are on) that goes on in between pitches. Most people just don't know what to watch for.

 

[CascadeClone]

Agree with hurrying up the relief pitchers 100%.

The other thing I think they should look at is a "shot clock" on pitches. Nothing more boring than watching a pitcher shake off 5 signs, step off the rubber, look at a runner, come back to the catcher, shake off 2 more signs, go into the stretch, and the batter steps out of the box. Makes me want to puke.

If the pitcher does not throw before the shot clock hits 0, then it's an auto ball. If the batter is out of the box at 0, then auto strike. Surely they could experiment with this in a minor leagues at least?

Saw/heard a stat that said avg game time was 2hrs 15 mins back in the early 70s. Now it's like 3 hrs 30 min. Get it back to 2.5 hours and I think that would help with popularity/watchability a lot.

 

[dabears32]

WSJ had an interesting article about how much action time is observed for a typical baseball game: about 18-minutes in a typical 3-hr game, or about 10%.

Downtime:
Time bt pitches: 1:14:49
Time bt batters: 33:39
Time bt innings: 42:41


"....What's the bottom line? When we compare total action to total down time—even including debatable action such as pitches, trots and pickoff throws—total action time is 17:58. The average game time was 2 hours and 58 seconds, so the action portion of a typical game is 10%. That leaves 90% of the game as down time...."

The Action in a Baseball Game Is About 18 Minutes - WSJ.com

There have been studies that show the amount of action in a baseball game is more than a football game though.

 

[Cy$]

But obviously soccer is so much more boring to watch

 

[Cy$]

How much action in a typical soccer match: The 2 seconds when they score the one goal.

Dumb post

 

[NATEizKING]

How much action in a typical soccer match: The 2 seconds when they score the one goal.

I'd say about 80 minutes minimum, the ball is in play.

 

[NATEizKING]

There have been studies that show the amount of action in a baseball game is more than a football game though.

Quality over quantity, most (99%) of baseball plays are boring as hell.

 

[cowboycurtis]

I'd say about 80 minutes minimum, the ball is in play.

And none of it is any good.