Through the first 421 games, average game time is 2:43, up from 2:37 last year, with 16.9 batter timeouts per game and 4.1 ABS challenges adding 63 seconds per game.
Pitchers are using more of the pitch timer, and teams like the Marlins and Rockies are calling more pitches from the dugout, contributing to longer games but also improved pitching stats for those clubs.
Despite the increase, games remain faster than any pre-pitch timer season since 1984, though trends like increased dugout pitch-calling may further impact game pace and the sport's competitive dynamics.
With game times increasing again, are MLB's celebrated pace-of-play rules already failing?
Could banning batter timeouts, a minor league experiment, be the simple fix for MLB's time problem?
How has the smaller automated strike zone permanently changed hitting and pitching strategies?
Fans love the challenge system's drama, but is it worth adding six minutes to every game?
Will robot umps and dugout callers eventually make the traditional game-calling catcher obsolete?
Is data-driven dugout pitch calling the future, or will a catcher's intuition always reign supreme?