NEW YORK — Despite Major League Baseball’s efforts to speed up the game, Saturday night’s contest between the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins proved that some matchups will still test fans’ endurance.
The Yankees’ 9-7 victory stretched to 3 hours and 49 minutes, establishing a new record for the lengthiest nine-inning contest since baseball implemented its pitch clock before the 2023 season, data from the Elias Sports Bureau confirms.
To put this marathon in perspective, MLB hadn’t seen a nine-inning game exceed this duration since Boston defeated Baltimore 13-9 in a 3-hour, 57-minute affair on September 27, 2022, according to Elias records.
Before Saturday’s lengthy affair, the Oakland Athletics held the post-pitch clock record with their 3-hour, 45-minute victory over the New York Mets on August 15, 2024, winning 7-6.
Several factors contributed to Saturday’s extended duration: both teams utilized 13 different pitchers who threw a combined 379 pitches, while Miami’s hurlers issued 10 walks, bringing their two-game series total to 21 free passes. Additionally, 21 baserunners were stranded, with the Marlins leaving 12 men on base.
The pitch clock has proven effective overall in shortening game duration. Average nine-inning game times plummeted from 3 hours and 4 minutes in 2022 to 2 hours and 40 minutes when the clock debuted in 2023, then further decreased to 2 hours and 36 minutes in 2024 — the shortest since 1984’s 2-hour, 35-minute average. Last year saw a slight uptick to 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Game length became a significant concern after 2016, when average times first exceeded three hours. The problem peaked at a record 3 hours and 10 minutes in 2021 before electronic pitch-calling technology helped reduce it to 3 hours and 4 minutes in 2022, setting the stage for the pitch clock’s introduction.
