Someone found a 1984 game that meshed nicely with a 2014 game (number of pitches/batters faces/runs scored etc.) and compared them inning by inning. The biggest difference was the time between pitches (batters futzing around).
I don’t recall seventh inning stretches ever taking longer than normal between-inning breaks (although in High school we had them after the 5th, because we only played 7). The fact that you’re actually doing something while the teams are switching roles doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re waiting on you to finish singing the silly song.
Of course, not actually following pro baseball since I got out of high school, this might not be true any more.
I find it amusing, all the ways MLB is trying to speed up a game that, if tied, can be twice as long- or more- than usual.
MLB is trying to pick up the pace but frankly the problem is that a baseball fan will watch a pitcher’s duel in rapturous anticipation, a newbie will think its boring as hell.
Enforcing the 12 second pitch clock would really speed up the game. Add a 20 second shot clock for batters and the pace of the game starts to pick up dramatically.
The issue is not the total time a game takes; it’s the pace of the action within a game. An extra-inning game can hold viewers’ attention if it moves along quickly. Endless adjusting of batting gloves will bore viewers.
We compare the length of games year over year because it’s a useful metric for evaluating the pace of the game.
Works fine in minor league baseball.
Also stop batters from wandering out of the batting box during at-bats, limit mound visits and pitching changes during an inning, require relief pitchers to start throwing without warmups and pretty soon you’ve got a speedier game.
And for every Red Sox-Yankees game that lasts more than 3 1/2 hours, award losses to both teams. 
Baseball action does not. It is baseball non-action like the constant stepping out of the box to adjust your batter armor and ignoring the 20 second rule that needs to be addressed. I would love to see what happens if an umpire actually enforced the 20 second rule and allowed the batter only one time to step out of the box to adjust.
This is the solution that’s really needed. The automatic walk rule is fine, it just makes sense, but it’s not going to have a major impact on the team. Batters asking for time over and over again is just stalling. It’s absurd to believe a professional player can’t be ready to bat within seconds after the pitcher is on the mound. I don’t mind the length of the games watching them on TV so much, I’ll be doing something else most of the time anyway and I can rewind and replay anything that does happen, but the stalling makes going to the park to see the game much less enjoyable for me, getting to see the action live is the highlight at the park and all that time not playing baseball does nothing for me.
It’s all about the pitcher’s intent, mate.
If he had legit control problems, what we call “command” in pitching (I pitched h.s. and college ball) then, of course, no, the ump would take no action. Nor would he be in any sort of rules violation.
But if the pitch DID want to put the batter on base…say, to set-up a double play with first base open and a weaker hitter coming up, which IS the usual cirumstance for an intentional BB…then the pitcher would never fake command troubles and throw high and away like that, I cannot see any reason for it.
Especially since, stats wise, it looks better for a pitcher to have and intentional walk than a legit BB. Also there is always the chance of a passed ball or a wild pitch in your “acted out intentional BB” scenario. Which could advance base runners. Why take the chance?
If you want the batter on first and don’t want him to have a chance at a hit just call for an intentional BB.
I can’t really make sense of why a pitcher would do what you are asking about.
Or am I missing something?
I might be…I am still undercaffeinated this morning, after a rough night! LOL
Cheers.
I agree it’s a bad rule. One of the great things about baseball is the occasional screwball play. A wild pitch or passed ball on an intentional walk does occasionally happen. Sometimes it leads to chaos which is fun to watch. Then everybody that is watching says, " how can a bunch of guys that have played baseball their entire lives and have made it to the majors mess up that bad?" Great entertainment!
One thing that drives me crazy is the asshole batter that has to step out, adjust the velcro on the glove then spit a dozen times before he’s ready to take a pitch. Was it Reggie Fuckwad Jackson that started that nonsense?
Rule change: Batter can’t step out of the box more than three times during any at bat unless there is a broken bat or the defensive team or umpire stops play. If the asshole wants to lean on his bat, adjust his glove and show the cameras how prodigious his spit is while in the batters box, then let the pitcher blow a fastball by him for a called strike. Actually it might be a good chance for a well deserved beaning.
Make it one time not three.
I’d think you certainly need to add hits a foul ball as they often need to run on those in case they are fair. Then there are drag bunts when the batter pulls the bat away but is already starting towards first. Not to mention the occasional times a swing is so hard the batter falls out of the box.