Subscribe now
Seattle Mariners

John Blanchette: Mariners offer perfect ideas for saving time in baseball

Houston Astros right fielder Josh Reddick, right, misses the ball on a dive as second baseman Jose Altuve runs past on a single by Seattle’s Mike Zunino during the sixth inning Wednesday in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
By John Blanchette blanchettejp@gmail.com(509) 844-5558

SEATTLE – It’s been in all the papers: how the biggest threat to baseball’s future popularity is the ever-increasing length of games.

Of course, it’s been in all the papers because of baseball writers beset with onerous deadlines and commercial flights to catch on getaway day.

When Casey Fien and Edwin Diaz were coughing up that six-run lead in the ninth innings of the Seattle Mariners’ meltdown loss to the Angels last Sunday, their teammates might have been cussing them under their breath. But in the press box, they were cussing them out loud.

The game doesn’t have a clock. Newspapers do.

So does baseball have a time problem?

According to commissioner Rob Manfred, it does. He’s afeard that the game has become boring to short-attention-span millennials, who he’s apparently noticed in the stands during baseball telecasts with eyes glued to their cellphones texting and snap-chatting and streaming Netflix instead of being spellbound by live action of Leonys Martin’s latest weak ground out.

This is alarming. You never see millennials on their cellphones, except when sitting in coffee shops, walking down the street, driving, during Thanksgiving dinner, in the dentist’s chair, in the checkout line right in front of you or at the movies in the seat right in front of you.

The average time of games in 2016 climbed back to 3 hours, after some Major League Baseball initiatives executed with a whip and a chair had tamed it to 2:56 the year before. The Arizona Diamondbacks averaged 3:14; the Mariners 3:02.

World Series games, we all know, dragged on longer, interrupted as they were by Santa Claus sliding down the chimney.

Though it’s not as if that was of any concern to the Mariners. Again.

Manfred stormed into action and, with the consent of the players’ union, implemented the bold new protocol of … taking the four pitches out of the intentional walk. Now it’s just a point-and-nod and the runner goes down to first.

The Mariners got to show that new toy off to the home fans at Safeco Field on Wednesday night, reliever Dan Altavilla shrugging Brian McCann off to first to load the bases in the seventh inning. Altavilla then promptly uncorked a wild pitch, and had the ball pop out of his glove on the tag when Houston’s Carlos Correa slid home for a 7-5 Astros lead.

This proved to be a significant time savings. M’s fans banked two whole innings they might have waited before heading to their cars.

Father Time Manfred is threatening all sorts of unilateral action in 2018, including implementing the 20-second pitch clock that’s used in the minors, limited visits to the mound by catchers and infielders and even, you know, umpires calling the actual strike zone. In two rookie leagues this year, baseball is starting all extra innings with a runner on second base to hasten a conclusion.

Why not just a shootout? Or a home-run derby?

Surely there are more ways to shave seconds from these interminable games, and several were discovered during Wednesday’s Astros-M’s game:

  • The national anthem. Lop off “land of the free” from the lyrics, since by executive order now that seems to be a limited proposition.
  • M’s starter Yovani Gallardo scuffs the pitcher’s mound dirt 13 times to dig a proper plant surface. Scuffs need to be limited to seven.
  • Stadium announcer Tom Hutlyer introduces Robinson Cano. Should be shortened to “Robby.” Every syllable counts.
  • Mike Freeman, just called up from Triple-A with shortstop Jean Segura on the disabled list, homers in first at bat. Time wasted in Tacoma: nine games.
  • Martin pops up a bunt. Time wasted on fundamentals in spring training: 45 days.
  • Notice on the out-of-town scoreboard that the Twins lost for the third time in four games after a 4-0 start. Time wasted following them: the last six seasons.
  • Gallardo, something of a human rain delay, clocks in at between 16 and 19 seconds between pitches with a runner on base. Houston starter Mike Fiers goes a minute and 15 seconds between deliveries to Mitch Haniger with two pickoff throws. Solution: Send Gallardo to Tacoma, send Fiers to the Senate for the next filibuster.
  • Actual suggestion: No more warm-ups for relievers who’ve been throwing in the bullpen. How did this become a thing?
  • Rebecca gets asked to the prom by Chad on the video wall FanGram. Just ask her by the drinking fountain at school kid, and save everybody some time.
  • Workers outside the stadium start work assembling the Ken Griffey Jr. statue at midnight. Much time will be saved not assembling a Howard Lincoln statue.
  • Mariners relievers surrender nine hits and six runs as Seattle blows a 5-0 lead to lose 10-5. Time saved thinking this might be the season for the Mariners: five months, 18 days.