Some Baseball “Research” …

I am back from a great visit with old friends in the Phoenix AZ area and the opportunity to see 3 Spring Training baseball games.  It was an enjoyable time all around and I got a chance to do some “research”.  When a reader knew of my plans for earlier this week, he sent a note wishing me safe travels and said he would “look forward to reading what you think of new baseball rules.”  This is not a disc-jockey show; nevertheless, I am open to requests from the audience; so, I took that as a reason to take some notes during the games.

The goal of the new MLB rule changes is two-fold:

  1. Shorten the total time from first pitch to final out.
  2. Pack more “baseball action” into the time of the game.

So, here is the methodology of my “research”:

  • I broke each game into “thirds” and timed the start of each third and the final out of the game.
  • I also recorded the gross results of each third – – and by extension for the entire game.
  • I tracked things that can slow down the game such as pitcher changes within an inning.
  • I recorded any violations of the new pitch clock.
  • I recorded any base stealing attempts – – and successes – – because the larger bases are supposed to encourage that “action-creating strategy.”

Now, let me be sure to lay out clearly the limitations of my “research”:

  • Clearly this is a small sample size.
  • These are Spring Training games not critical games in a playoff run.

The “Bottom Line” for my “research” is that the games move faster than before and there is more action packed into the compressed playing time.  For the 3 games I saw, that is clear and obvious to me; here are my data:

Guardians 12 Cubs 4: 

  • Total elapsed time for the game was 2 hours and 46 minutes.
  • The combined run line for the two teams was 16 runs, 21 hits, 5 errors
  • There were 3 pitching changes within an inning and 1 mound conference
  • The teams combined to attempt 6 stolen bases and were successful 3 times.
  • There were no “clock violations” in the game.
  • The Guardians attempted a hit-and-run once.
  • [Aside:  Roman Quinn hit 2 home runs in this game.]

Padres 7 Giants 5:

  • Total elapsed time for the game was 2 hours and 24 minutes
  • The combined run line for the two teams was 12 runs, 15 hits, no errors.
  • There were no pitching changes within an inning and no mound conferences.
  • The teams combined to attempt 3 stolen bases and all three were successful.
  • There was 1 “clock violation” on the pitcher in the game.
  • [Aside:  There were 3 wild pitches in the game including 2 wild pitches in the same half-inning.]

Royals 8 Rockies 6:

  • Total elapsed time for the game was 2 hours and 54 minutes.
  • The combined run line for the two teams was 14 runs, 21 hits, 3 errors.
  • There were 3 pitching changes within an inning and 3 mound conferences.  Moreover, one pitching change happened due to an injury to the pitcher so the reliever called in was not timed for his warm-ups.
  • The teams combined to attempt 8 stolen bases and all 8 were successful including a steal of home.
  • The Royals attempted 1 hit-and-run.
  • There was 1 “clock violation” on the pitcher in the game.
  • [Kris Bryant hit a home run that probably did not come down for 3 days.]

Here are the two “activities” that seem to have been minimized so far as my 3-game sample indicates:

  1. Hitters either avoid adjusting their batting gloves entirely or they do it much more quickly than they did in the past.
  2. Pitchers spend a lot less time either walking around on or near the mound with the ball in their hand and/or staring menacingly at the hitter/catcher.

The rule change about reducing the extreme shift – – requiring two infielders to be on either side of second base and for infielders to be on the infield dirt when the pitcher starts his motion – – did not seem odious and there were a couple of singles through the infield that would likely have been ground outs had the extreme shift been deployed.  Even though I run the risk of being labeled a “revisionist” by those who resist changes to the rules of baseball, I think these new rule changes are good for the game.

Finally, let me close today with this view of baseball from The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

Baseball:   A spectator sport known as ‘the great American pastime’ largely because so much time passes while waiting for each game to end.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

6 thoughts on “Some Baseball “Research” …”

  1. Excellent scientific method study! You’re hired the next time I need such a study. Thanks. That was a very enjoyable read and a great preview for the regular season games I will attend.

  2. A three-game spring training sample? You should work for fivethirtyeight with a methodology like that.

  3. Professor:

    A well done study, even with a limited sample. Interestingly one of our superstars, Manny Machado, had the ‘clock violation’. In any case, it is always good to see the Padres whip up on the Giants.

    1. Price:

      Actually, the “Machado clock violation” was in a different game. The one I saw was on the pitcher in the game whose name I did not record.

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