MLB games are lasting a little longer this season. One reason could be the new ABS system
It could be argued that the ABS system has been the MVP of MLB through the season’s first 2 1/2 weeks, creating a game-within-the-game that’s producing winners, losers and some dramatic moments. There appears to be at least one tradeoff.
It could be argued that the Automated Ball-Strike system has been the MVP of Major League Baseball through the season’s first 2 1/2 weeks, creating a game-within-the-game that’s producing winners, losers and some dramatic moments. There appears to be at least one tradeoff. The robot umpires could be one of the factors making games a little longer this spring, with the time of a nine-inning game creeping upward to 2 hours, 42 minutes, according to baseball-reference.
com. That’s up from 2:38 last season and 2:36 in 2024. The slightly longer games make sense.
Even though an ABS challenge usually takes less than 15 seconds, the mini delays in the game can add up if several pitches are contested. One of MLB’s big wins over the past decade is a rules package that debuted in 2023, which included a pitch clock that dramatically shortened games by roughly 25 minutes. Though there were scattered complaints about the changes, they’ve been widely viewed as a success.
The ABS system might be making a small dent in that progress, but game times still are considerable shorter than they were in the pre-pitch clock era. A nine-inning game lasted an average of 3:10 in 2021 — an all-time high. Triple threat Two-time All-Star Corbin Carroll is off to a good start again this season with a .