MLB's postseason concluded with one of the most unpredictable and compelling World Series in recent memory -- and also one of the longest in terms of game length. Of the 13 longest nine-inning World Series' games this decade, six came this year, according to ESPN. Game 3 -- the Astros' 4-1 victory over the Nationals -- took 4 hours, 3 minutes to play. That was nearly an hour longer than the average length of 3 hours, 5 minutes for regular-season games in '19. During the World Series, THE DAILY caught up with former pitcher and current MLB VP/On-Field Operations, Initiatives & Strategy Chris Young to talk about the pace-of-play issue and changes that will be implemented for the '20 season.
Q: How much has pace of play been a point of emphasis for MLB in recent years?
Young: It's very important. Through our fan polling, we have seen our fans would like to have more action in a shorter time period. So the pace of play -- creating less dead time in the game -- is an important way to enhance the product and make the game better.
Q: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told me recently that so-called dead time between action is more of an issue for him than the actual length of games. Do you agree?
Young: Yes -- one of the main focuses is reducing the amount of dead time in between balls in play. So getting more balls in play, more frequently, where our athletes, whom I consider the best athletes who have ever played this game, are on display more often, I think that adds to a more compelling product and it's sort of within the historic norm of what we have seen in the past. I think that's what the focus is, to get it back there.
Q: Why implement a three-batter minimum rule for pitchers in 2020?
Young: Through the fan polling, we have seen that fans do not like mid-inning pitching changes, that it drags the game and is dead time. And so by requiring a pitcher who comes into the game to face three batters, it has the potential to reduce those one-batter pitching changes or two-batter pitching changes that really slow the game down where it starts to drag, and at a point at which you want more action and want the fans to be captivated and engaged. Instead it sort of has the opposite effect where fans perhaps lose interest.
Q: There will be the elimination of the 40-man active roster limit in September. From Sept. 1 to the end of the championship season, all clubs must carry 28 players on the active roster. How will that help pace of play?
Young: We have played for a long time five months of baseball with a certain size roster and then all of a sudden we expand rosters in September. The way the pitching staffs are used, the pinch hitters, it fundamentally changes the game. We have seen teams out of competition in September do one thing, we have seen teams that are in competition call up close to all 40 men on their roster and it really fundamentally changes the way the game is played. The question is, is that still a level playing field? Ideally, we want the game in September to resemble -- not only in terms of length and the action but also the players involved -- how the rest of the regular season looks. By reducing the rosters in September, there will be fewer players available on a nightly basis and should reduce game time.
Q: These two changes might reduce the length of game time by a few minutes, but you don't expect a dramatic difference, right?
Young: All of these things are steps in the right direction. We've had great conversations with the Players Association and their involvement and participation in these conversations is really beneficial for everyone to come together and decide collectively what the best product is and what the game should look like. I'm encouraged by that.
