# Baseball games are longer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661 "2006-05-21T19:20:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rice099](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@rice099](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rice099)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/1 "2006-05-21T19:20:33Z")
Why do American League games take longer than National League games to play? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/2 "2006-05-21T19:25:06Z")
American league games are longer because: 1. There is more scoring because of the DH. More guys get on base. That takes a while. 2. More pitching changes are made in the middle of an inning than in the NL where pitching changes happen frequently because the pitcher is pinch hit for. There isn’t as much of a delay for a pitcher coming in at the beginning of the inning. Number 1 is the big one. More runners on base = longer games. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/3 "2006-05-21T20:27:25Z")
[QUOTE=BobT] American league games are longer because: 1. There is more scoring because of the DH. More guys get on base. That takes a while. … Number 1 is the big one. More runners on base = longer games. [/QUOTE] Not only that but as someone who watches mostly AL games every time I watch a game where the pitchers are batting (NL or interleague) I’m always reminded how quickly pitchers’ at-bats often go. A lot of pitchers can’t or don’t seem to bother trying to work the count, etc. They might take a pitch or two then swing, either popping or grounding out. They rarely battle for long at-bats like even a moderately skilled DH will, even if he doesn’t end up getting on base. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/4 "2006-05-21T21:02:12Z")
A pitcher doesn’t battle for a long at bat because you have to be good enough to do that. It’s not like pitcher’s have great strike zone judgment when they’re batting. They’re probably thinking “Hey, that could be a strike! I should throw it there!”. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/5 "2006-05-21T21:10:47Z")
[QUOTE=BobT] 1. More pitching changes are made in the middle of an inning than in the NL where pitching changes happen frequently because the pitcher is pinch hit for. There isn’t as much of a delay for a pitcher coming in at the beginning of the inning. [/QUOTE] I don’t know that I agree with this but I don’t have any sabermetic data either way. Double switches on pitching changes occur in the middle of innings and they are obviously a NL only thing. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/6 "2006-05-21T22:26:15Z")
I did say that the extra runners on base was the primary reason. I think the pitching changes are a secondary cause. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/7 "2006-05-21T22:40:26Z")
[QUOTE=BobT] There is more scoring because of the DH. [/QUOTE] What’s a DH? ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/8 "2006-05-21T22:44:03Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] What’s a DH? [/QUOTE] Designated Hitter. He hits for the pitcher in the American League. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/9 "2006-05-21T22:47:04Z")
DH= Designated Hitter someone who bats for the pitcher but dosn’t play in the field. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/10 "2006-05-21T22:58:50Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] What’s a DH? [/QUOTE] You need to go watch the Claxton Shield competition next summer (Southern Hemisphere kind). That’s the Australian baseball championship! ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/11 "2006-05-21T23:09:59Z")
[QUOTE=BobT] You need to go watch the Claxton Shield competition next summer (Southern Hemisphere kind). That’s the Australian baseball championship! [/QUOTE] Is it? One learns something new every day. It’s obviously not as well known as the Sheffield Shield for cricket. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/12 "2006-05-21T23:11:25Z")
[QUOTE=BobT] A pitcher doesn’t battle for a long at bat because you have to be good enough to do that. It’s not like pitcher’s have great strike zone judgment when they’re batting. They’re probably thinking “Hey, that could be a strike! I should throw it there!”. [/QUOTE] Oh, I know. All I was saying was that by my anectdotal observations that difference alone has to make most non-DH games a couple of minutes shorter than games with the DH. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/13 "2006-05-21T23:15:48Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] Is it? One learns something new every day. It’s obviously not as well known as the Sheffield Shield for cricket. [/QUOTE] Yep, Queensland won. [News story](http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1557276.htm) ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/14 "2006-05-21T23:52:37Z")
[QUOTE=Laughing Lagomorph] Not only that but as someone who watches mostly AL games every time I watch a game where the pitchers are batting (NL or interleague) I’m always reminded how quickly pitchers’ at-bats often go. A lot of pitchers can’t or don’t seem to bother trying to work the count, etc. They might take a pitch or two then swing, either popping or grounding out. They rarely battle for long at-bats like even a moderately skilled DH will, even if he doesn’t end up getting on base. [/QUOTE] > [@BobT](#): > > A pitcher doesn’t battle for a long at bat because you have to be good enough to do that. It’s not like pitcher’s have great strike zone judgment when they’re batting. They’re probably thinking “Hey, that could be a strike! I should throw it there!”. Just a total WAG, since I don’t follow baseball much, and am even less likely to follow the NL since my natural home team is in the American league (Go Jays!!) … But, following a little further on BobT’s notion, would pitchers be less likely to extend themselves for a long at bat because they have a very important role on the other side of the field, that’s pretty grueling on their arms, and thus they want to save their effort for further pitching more than, say, a right fielder would want to conserve his resources for future catching and throwing??? ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-games-are-longer/357661/15 "2006-05-22T02:17:59Z")
[QUOTE=chrisk] Just a total WAG, since I don’t follow baseball much, and am even less likely to follow the NL since my natural home team is in the American league (Go Jays!!) … But, following a little further on BobT’s notion, would pitchers be less likely to extend themselves for a long at bat because they have a very important role on the other side of the field, that’s pretty grueling on their arms, and thus they want to save their effort for further pitching more than, say, a right fielder would want to conserve his resources for future catching and throwing??? [/QUOTE] Doubtful, IMO. Most NL pitchers are just clueless at the plate in non-bunt situations, and so they just want to get the at-bat over with. Trying to save their stamina doesn’t really enter into it. Of course, you do get some pitchers who can hit. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine can handle the bat, and Tony La Russa likes to use Jason Marquis as a pinch-hitter, he’s so capable at the plate.