I wonder how many of those strikeouts were at-bats with 5 or more foul balls with 2 strikes. That's the real place MLB needs to look, to speed up the game. Limiting mound visits, taking away the manager's freedom to make tactical decisions by bringing different pitchers in, implementing the pitch clock-those things don't really contribute to reducing the length of the game. It's the 15-to-20-pitch at-bats, where a batter fouls off ball after ball, that takes the longest amount of time.
We're approaching a new norm for starters, too, in which 20 to 25 pitches an inning are normal, and consequently, a starter will last 5 innings, roughly. Just a couple of seasons ago, you could say that a pitcher was working economically if he threw 10 pitches an inning. A good starter made it through the 7th inning.
Former pitcher Larry Anderson routinely says that this all goes back to the inconsistent way the umpires call the strike zone. Few call it as defined. And batters swing at questionable pitches because of it. I agree that if the strike zone were called more consistently, called as defined, that would lead batters to develop better plate discipline, and shorten the at-bats. But if the umpires won't, or can't, I see a time when we will have technology for reading the strike zone. Not "robot umpires" in the sense of calling other plays on the basepaths or in the field. But the technology already exists to detect objects passing through a defined space. It'll just take someone adapting it to the game.
That, or change the rules and call the third-strike foul. The American Softball Association recognizes that rule; ASA leagues can choose to use it or not. But it means an at-bat is 6 pitches at the most.
I know many fans enjoy seeing a batter foul off pitch after pitch. "He's wearing the pitcher down, it's good strategy!" I disagree. It's as exciting as watching a football team huddle. It's more exciting to see the ball get put in play, or, to watch a really good pitcher strike out the batter with fire or with finesse.
We now return you to "Rain-Delay Theater" and the colorized version of "Bomba the Jungle Boy".
Prost!
Brad
