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.
The longest spring game so far lasted 3:06 -- which was about the average length of an MLB regular-season game last year -- while the shortest one over the weekend was only 2:07. One of the higher-scoring games -- 18 runs combined between the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday -- lasted only 2:58.
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.
A pitcher can be penalized with a ball if he hasn't started his motion when the clock hits zero, and a hitter can be issued a strike if he isn't in the batter's box and "alert to the pitcher" with eight seconds remaining on the clock. There were 69 pitch timer violations issued over the first 35 spring games from Friday through Sunday. On Sunday, there were 28 pitching violations and seven hitting violations.