How Many Hours Does A Baseball Game Last?

A baseball game typically lasts around three hours, give or take a few minutes. Learn about the different factors that can affect the duration of a baseball game.

The average length of a baseball game has increased over the years

The average length of a baseball game has increased over the years, from two hours and thirty-three minutes in 1981 to three hours in 2019, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The increase can be attributed to a variety of factors, including more pitches being thrown per inning and more time between pitches.

Reasons for the increase in game length

Over the years, Major League Baseball has seen the average length of a game increase by about 30 minutes. There are a number of reasons for this increase, including:

-The increased use of bullpen pitchers, which prolongs games;
-The increased popularity of home runs, which extends games;
-The increased use of television commercials, which adds to the overall game time;
-The decreased attention span of fans, which causes them to leave games early.

How long is too long?

How long is too long? That’s a question baseball fans have been asking for years, as the average length of a major league game has crept steadily upward.

In 2018, the average game time was 3 hours and 2 minutes, up from 2 hours and 33 minutes in 1988. (That’s an increase of almost 30 minutes, or about 16 percent.) But that doesn’t tell the whole story: The length of time between pitches has increased even more rapidly. In 1988, there was an average of 18.5 seconds between pitches; by 2018, that number had jumped to 22 seconds.

So why does it feel like games are taking forever? Part of it is perceptual: Our brains register passing time differently when we’re bored. But there are also some very real changes in the way the game is played that have lengthened games.

One is the increased use of relief pitchers. In 1988, teams used an average of 2.65 pitchers per game; by 2018, that number had risen to 3.11. That might not sound like a big difference, but it adds up to nearly an hour of additional playing time over the course of a season.

Another factor is simply that there are more pitches being thrown in general: In 1988, there were an average of 251 pitches thrown in a game; by 2018, that number had risen to 293 — an increase of nearly 17 percent. A lot of that can be blamed on hitters working counts and fouling off pitches until they get one they like; in 1988, hitters saw an average of 3.58 pitches per plate appearance; by 2018, that number had risen to 3.89 — an increase of nearly 9 percent.

But relief pitchers and more patient hitters aren’t the only things lengthening games. The pace of play has also been slowed down by deliberate changes in the way the game is played. At various times over the past few years, Major League Baseball has instituted rule changes designed to speed up play: Limiting the number of trips to the mound coaches can make per inning; instituting a pitch clock; banning infielders from shifting position mid-inning; and so on.

So far, those changes haven’t had much effect: The average length of a game rose from 2 hours and 56 minutes in 2015 to 3 hours in 2018 — an increase of nearly 4 percent.

Ultimately, baseball games are long because they’re designed to be long: They’re intended to be leisurely affairs, complete with plenty of time for beer and hot dogs and bathroom breaks. And as long as fans continue to turn out in droves (attendance was higher than ever in 2018), there’s no reason for owners or league officials to want to change that.

What can be done to shorten the length of games?

Many baseball fans believe that the length of games has gotten out of control in recent years and something needs to be done to shorten them. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, including:

-Pitching changes: A typical game has about 30 pitches per inning, or about 240 per game. If each team only used two pitchers per game, that would drop to 120 pitches.

-Hitters: batters take about 3 minutes between pitches, so if each team had only 9 hitters instead of 27, that would save about an hour.

-Innings: If games were played for only 9 innings instead of the traditional 9, that would save about 45 minutes.

-Speed up play: There are a number of ways to speed up the actual play on the field, such as requiring batters to keep one foot in the batter’s box and banning intentional walks.

How do fans feel about the length of games?

How do fans feel about the length of games?

The average length of a baseball game has increased over the years, and some fans feel that this is a problem. They believe that the games are too long and that they are not as exciting as they used to be. Others argue that the length of the game is not a problem, and that it is just a part of the sport.