The average time of spring training games this weekend was down 23 minutes compared with spring contests last year after MLB implemented its first-ever pitch clock, according to league data.
The average game time from the opening weekend was 2:38. Games took an average of 3:01 in spring 2022. The difference is comparable to the experiments in the minor leagues, where game times were down 25 minutes with a pitch clock compared with games played without one.
Regular-season game times have steadily gone up over the past several decades, peaking at an average of 3:11 in 2021. Last season, on average, games lasted 3:06. It’s been a decade since the average length of a game was under 3:00.
The league is hoping a pitch timer — 15 seconds between pitches when the bases are empty and 20 seconds with runners on — will reduce the “dead time” within MLB games.