The Assault on Extra Innings

One of the worst (and we mean WORST) rules instituted by MLB in recent years has been placing an automatic runner on second base in extra innings.  This “rule” was dreamed up by the MLB hierarchy to speed up the game once it hit extra innings.  Randomly and without precedent, the decision was to place a runner at second base for each team beginning with the 10^th inning.  Not 1^st base, not 3^rd base, but 2^nd base.  It is understandable why 3^rd base wasn’t considered since that would lead to an almost automatic run, but how about 1^st base.  What was the logic and how much research did MLB perform to decide upon rewriting the rules of baseball?

This rule was radical in our belief, because the entire core belief of baseball is that you earn your way on base by a hit, error, walk or hit by pitch.  The way to earn your way on to a base lasted for 174 years, but that core belief was upended in 2020.  That was the year the MLB gods decided in their limited wisdom to place an automatic unearned runner on 2^nd base to effectively shorten the game and reduce those pesky extra innings.  What did they reduce though? 

Historically about 10% of all major league games go to extra innings.  In this link from Beyond the Box Score it breaks down how long the 1,200 extra-inning games lasted from 2012 – 2017. In those 1,200 games, 524 (44%) were settled in 10 innings and another 295 (24%) were settled in 11 innings.  Therefore, more than 68% of the extra-inning games were completed in either one or two extra innings.  Only 58 games were 15 innings or more or just under 5% of all extra-inning games.

When examined against all games played, extended extra-inning games are quite rare.  Therefore, from 2012-2017 there would have been 14,580 games played in those six years.  That means that just over 8% (even a bit lower than the historical average noted above) went to extra innings.  As we can see per the data above, only 676 games went more than 10 innings in those six years, which comes out to 4.6% of the total games, and a mere 2.6% of the games were 11 innings or more.  If you want even more microscopic numbers only 1.5% or 219 games in those six years were 13 innings or more, while just 0.8% or 116 games were 14 innings or more.  That is worth repeating, only eight tenths of one percent of games were 14 innings or more!

A later analysis of 2019 games shows similar numbers to what was shown above in the Beyond the Box Score data.  In addition, this article noted that after implementing the new rule in 2020, no game exceeded 13 innings and in 2021 there was only one game that reached 16 innings.

The anecdotal evidence is that most fans hate this rule.  Is it any wonder why?  MLB decided to find a solution in search of a problem.  Their solution was to radically change a rule that is pure blasphemy to the average fan.  The change MLB instituted was analogous to reducing an out to two strikes or increasing a walk to five balls.

Part of the joy of baseball is rejoicing and reminiscing in the unusual and the outlier games.  One of the most amazing games in baseball history was the one played by the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves on July 4, 1985, with the Mets winning that contest in 19 glorious innings!  That game was also known as the Rick Camp game, since Camp, a pitcher, who had a career .060 batting average and never previously hit a home run in his career, chose the 18^th inning to belt a solo home run to tie that game for the Braves, before losing it in the 19^th.  The game which started at roughly 7:30 pm on July 4^th ended at 3:55 am the next day on July 5^th.  Included in the 6 hour and 10-minute game was also a two-hour rain delay.  At that time, National League games did not have a cut-off time like the American League and they could go on essentially forever until the game was concluded.

Beyond all the numbers and statistics noted above, the YouTube video shows the joy of the remaining fans who go wild when Camp hit that home run in the wee hours of the morning on July 5^th.   Obviously not the outcome those Braves fans wanted on that steamy July night and morning, but one that they will likely cherish for the rest of their lives and they can say braggingly, “I was there”.  If we could find some fans from that memorable game in 1985 what do you believe would be their reaction to having stayed and watched it for eight plus hours?  Anger because the game lasted so long or joy because they were part of a rare moment of baseball history?  Unequivocally it would be the latter.

Unfortunately, the new rule has extinguished such possibilities going forward, since the likelihood of a game going that length is beyond remote at this point.

If you are truly nostalgic, here below is the link to the full 1985 game between the Mets and Braves on that July night.  And Morning.

Enjoy!