What can be done to make baseball more exciting to watch?

Question

I love baseball but sometimes it's so boring. No one wants to see a 1-0 game that lasts 3 hours. So what can be done to speed up the game but at the same time there's a lot more offense?

Answer 1

Clicking an a random year (2002) I found that on 4/3/02, the Yankees beat Baltimore 1-0 in 2 hours and 56 minutes... I'm sure it wouldn't take too long to find a 1-0 game that took a full 3 hours... (that one might as well have). They're out there, but usually 1-0 games take about 2 and 1/2 hours... which is still too long.

A few things could be done to shorten the length of games...

Pitchers should be required to pitch within a certain amount of time...I think there was a 30 second rule on the books, but it's never enforced.

I would also direct the umpires to instruct the players that once they step into the batters box, TIME WILL NOT BE CALLED... if a bee flies into a players face, then yeah, let him step out... but this business of batter's stepping out of the box after every pitch, and adusting every part of their uniform is just absurd... if your uniform doesn't fit, get another uniform.


Of games played today (Sunday 5/20), the lowest scoring game was a 2-1 Padres victory over Seattle. That game took 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Just for the heck of it, I went back and checked some box scores of some Mets games I went to as a kid...

July 3, 1971 - Braves 7 Mets 1 ... game played in 2 hours and 17 minutes. (Saturday afternoon)

August 28, 1971 - Saturday afternoon doubleheader...
Game 1 - Mets 9 , Dodgers 2 - time of game 2 hours, 20 mintues. (Tom Seaver pitched this one, he was not a time-waster on the mound).

Game 2 - Mets 2 Dodgers 1 - 2 hours 15 minutes


Sept 10, 1971 - Mets 4 Phillies 3 - game time 2 hrs 15 min.


April 16, 1972 - Pirates 2 Mets 0 - 1 hour 59 minutes

A typical 9 inning game in those days took about 2 hours and 15 to 2 hours and 20 minutes to play. A game that started at 8:10 pm would be usually over by 10:30.

Tonights 6-2 Yankees win over the Mets on ESPN was a 3 hour and 14 min game.

Several other things that make the games longer really can't be helped... starting pitchers seldom go more than 6 or 7 innings any more, so you usually have 2 or 3 pitching changes in a normal game, for each team, even with Hall of Fame caliber pitchers. If a game is higher scoring, that just means more pitching changes.

During the 1970s, if you look at the leaders in complete games, year by year, 18 CG was the LOWEST total for any league leader during that decade...usually the leaders would have mid-high 20s, or even as many as 30 complete games in a season... (Steve Carlton, Catfish Hunter, Fergie Jenkins)...

Randy Johnson was the last pitcher to complete as many as 10 games in a season (he had 12 CG in 1999)... pitching changes always take a lot of time. And managers are obsessed with getting just the right matchups... this all goes to the overall lack of quality among major league starting pitchers today. Teams complain about not having good "middle relievers" but the reality is that their starters just aren't very good or very durable.

Even limiting the # of times a pitcher can throw to the bases in an inning would make a difference... and why not do that?...after all, we limit the # of times a pitcher can throw to home plate before something happens (ignoring 2 strike foul balls, that is)...

Calling the strike zone as defined by the rules would also shorten games as well... the strike zone right now, in practice, consists of the middle six inches of the plate, from the bottom of the batter's belt buckle to the top of his belt buckle.. I'm exaggerating a little of course, but I'm tired of seeing pitches that are right down the middle, belt high, being called "balls". The shrunken strike zone makes it much easier for the hitters, which also leads to longer games.

But the main thing umpires could do to move the games along is to tell the players and managers, "quit screwing around and play baseball". Don't step out of the batters box after every pitch, and make sure the pitcher delivers the ball within 30 seconds of getting it back from the catcher. And if catchers start to stall in order to get around that rule, then limit them to how long they can hold the ball after a pitch...

Umpires do not HAVE to call time EVERY TIME a player asks them to.

It's rude to the fans to make them sit through all the nonsense that goes on during a game.

I obviously wouldn't last 5 minutes as a major league umpire... I care about the fans way too much, and baseball would never put up with my insistence that the players play ball.

Answer 2

Unfortunetely, not much. This is becasue of multiple reasons.

All that time spent in-between innings is crucial for the pitcher. They have to have time to warm up, or else arm injuries will increase even more.

Next, 1-0 games are very interesting. Each baserunner, long fly ball, or hit increases the tension of the game. A 10-0 game is boring, because you already know the winner. Close games are interesting because anyone can win. Fans leave when the game becomes one-sided, and those at home stop watching. But, a 9-8 game is very interesting, for the reasons listed above.

Another idea would be to change some of the interleague rules. Currently, it is played by the home team rules. Why not switch it? Let NL fans see the DH, and AL fans see their pitcher hit.

And, when it comes to 1-0 games, they usually last only about 2 hours. I have never seen a 1-0 game that is even close to three hours. (Unless due to a rain delay or a brawl).

Answer 3

Baseball doesn't need any modifications. It is THE perfect game. It is, was, and always will be the #1 sport in this country. There is no other game that you could actually listen to on the radio & not miss a thing that you would by watching live or on tv. Also the only game where every play is documented(scorecard) so that 10-20 even 50 years down the road you can pull up a scorecard & know exactly what happened from first pitch to last out. so my answer is quite simple. Enjoy the game for what it is. Our great national pastime. yeah some games are a little longer and drawn out. but that's the beauty of it.

Answer 4

Some of the other posters have it right for sure. Baseball is a game of anticipation. You listed all these positives about football and basketball, but what about the negatives? Football has 10 seconds action followed by close to 35 seconds until the next play. Basketball is slow too. NBA refs can't go two trips down the court without a ticky-tack foul. Baseball has tons of action! Scoring from second on a single, hitting a home run and closing out a big game. The anticipation makes it so much better when that action comes. I love all three sports, plus soccer, so my bias wasn't too bad. I think.

Answer 5

Nothing needs to be done. If you think its too boring then don't watch it. The game has been around for 100+ years and has thrived through most of it. If you can't appreciate a good pitchers duel then you aren't a true fan of the game. I appreciate a monster home run as much as the next guy, but a big strikeout or key double play in a close game is just as exciting to me. I don't see a way to make it more exciting than I already find it to be. The laid back nature of the sport is part of what makes it so enjoyable to so many.

Answer 6

Well actually, to contradict what one person said before, I was at a game which ended 1-0, it ended up going 14 innings, for 4-5 hours. I enjoyed every minute of it.

part of the excitement of baseball is understanding the higher level of the game. thinking about what is going on in the players heads adds to the enjoyment of the game. Watching your team achieve that goal gives u a break from reality, in the simple joy of success, and relaxation.

Answer 7

1 - 0 games don't last three hours. 10-9 games do, but 1-0 games simply don't last 3 hours. EVER.

1-0 is the perfect final score. 1-0 means the pitchers are working quickly and doing their jobs properly. 1-0 means the defense is always on the balls of their feet, ready to pick anything and everything close to them and throw the runner or the batter-runner out. 1-0 means that the game literally rides on every pitch, every play, ever time that the pitcher changes his timing to the plate to help hold a runner at first. A person's reaction to a 1-0 game tells you everything about their understanding of the game and about just how good of a fan they are.

Try again, and this time. PAY ATTENTION.

Answer 8

There's a simple answer to your question. If you love the game of baseball, you won't change a thing. I love baseball, honestly, i do. If you truly respect the game, every game is exciting. If you get bored watching baseball, then the you really don't love the game. I don't care if it's an all-offense game or a pitching duel, both are great if you love the game.

Answer 9

The game is fine the way it is. The have raised the pitchers mound...lowered it and raised it...all to make the games higher scoring....
I would love to see the 3 hour 1-0 game you speak of...must of had a rain delay...or extra innings.

Answer 10

i watched a game that ended 1-0 score and it had a couple of extra innings so i am on the edge of my seat just one hr and the game is over and the team goes up and celebrates.