New Var time record
 

Had a Var game today in SoCal, San Clemente vs. Dana Hills. Finished in 1 hr. 20 min. Anyone beat that?!?

Not bragging just glad to get a decent game. My last college assignments have been 3 hours plus. Had a 2hr 10min JC game to start the season. ever since, 3 hours plus.

Hmmm,
 

Klokard:

Not trying to "one up" you but each varsity baseball season here we have several seven innings games that run around one hour. While we have our share of 2:30 to 3:00 hour games I would suggest our "average" high school game runs between 1:20 and 1:40.

My personal best, I was on the stick, was 6 1/2 inning game in 42 minutes. This game included nine consecutive pitches that ended in outs.

Regards,

I worked a WIAA (Wisconsin) sectional semifinal (winner of the sectional goes to the state tournament) on the plate two years ago that ended in 1:10. The game was scoreless with only one or two baserunners through 3.5 innings. In the bottom of the fourth, the home team plated 10 runs and after a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, the game was over.

I'm guessing the bottom of the fourth took up about half of the game. Weirdest fast game I ever worked.

I only say "strike" when the pitcher throws a strike.

Did the string begin with a second or third out or did that result in three three-pitch half innings?

You would need 9 pitches (all strikes ) to record a NINE pitch half inning.
BTW I have had several 3 pitch half innings (no strikes).

I worked the bases for an NAIA game last week that went 1:15. The home team won 2-0 on a 2-run dinger.

My best in high school was in a state playoff game. Home team led off the last inning with a walkoff homer to win it 1-0. Game went 1:01.

Strikes and ground balls make me a happy guy. An SEC ump once told me, "Make it prove to you it isn't a strike". I give that advice to all young guys.

How so?

Batter 1 sees four pitches, grounds out on the fourth pitch.

Batter 2 sees three pitches, flies out on the third pitch.

Batter 3 sees two pitches, grounds out on the second pitch.

9 pitches.

Hmm,
 

I do not remember exactly when it happened in the game but it was something such as this:

1 Out 1 On in top of third:

Pitch 1: fly ball out (2 out)
Pitch 2: ground ball to F6 (3 out)

Bottom of third:

Pitch 3: fly ball out (1 out)
Pitch 4: line drive between F7 & F8 to the wall -- Batter runner thrown out trying for second (2 out)
Pitch 5: Ground ball to F4 out (3 out)

Top of four:

Pitch 6: Pop-up to F3 out (1 out)
Pitch 7: One hopper back to F1 out (2 out)
Pitch 8: Ground Ball to F6 out (3 out)

Bottom of four:

Pitch 9: Bunt towards F5 out (1 out)
Pitch 10: Called "BALL"

Was it that hard to understand what I meant. Nine consecutive pitches all resulted in nine consecutive outs.

Usually I understand Kevin -- this time he confused me.

*This write up is NOT exactly what happened -- crap the game was in 1975.

This game happened three years before I was born. I suddenly don't feel so old.:p

WOW !! two consecutive 3 pitch half innings !! Never had that. Always about at least a half season apart !!

He didn't mention that any of the outs were strike outs............


Tim.

1:15 on bases, 7 innings full, Varsity.

1:18 on plate, 6-1/2 innings, Varsity.

Maybe if I were an agnostic, I'd have better times!:)





Just kidding, TimC!

Congratulations! After the last three varsity scrimmages I have worked the phone call home to the wife began with a reply, "We were getting worried about you!"

Sorry I was thinking Strikes !!
Guess that is not so bad !!
Strikes = outs !!!

I would agree w/ most posters on here in the fact that on average a 7 inning game should last between 1:20 and 1:40. If you finish one in an hour...that's fast...and of course we have the multiple error, long count, base runners every inning, 14-13 game that touches three hours. We take the good with the bad.

Great job!

I was privileged to work an 11-0 five inning game in 1 hour 15 minutes last year. I was the base ump for the game. It was part of a DH. My plate game was really slow, it was 5-1 in 1:35.

Five before my birth, grandpa.

Not this season, but have had several full 7 inning games go right about an hour. My top is 57 minutes. 2-1 Ballgame.

I wish I lived in your parts of the country! A GOOD time around here is 1:45.

I can't figure other parts of the country. 1:20 would be outstanding time. I had one of those two years ago in the 2nd game of the season. One pitcher pitched a one hitter and the other a 3 hitter in a 1-0 game. 1:55 would be closer to average. Either pitching is really good, or hitting really bad, or both, for varsity games to average between 1:20 and 1:40. JV games are longer because the good pitchers are on the varsity team.

After the 3:30, 9 2/3 inning game last year mine doesn't tell me that any more. Partner and I were "gone" for 7 hours...for a JV(w/1:15 time limit) and a varsity game. He figured his wife wouldn't believe him.

Can't come close to the quick games - mine are all 2-2.5 hours with the exceptions of course.

That is interesting that you mention this. I was sitting thinking last night how other might think when behind the dish. My thought has always been that the pitch is a strike till it isn't. Just wondered what others thought.

When you have pitchers throwing strikes, fielders making plays, and both teams hustling in and out between innings, 1 hour ball games are not hard to come by. Rarely do all of these things occur in a single ballgame, but every now and then they do, and that means you can throw back a few extra "sodas" after the game before the wife expects you home. :D

Borrowed from Casey Stengel describing the slider: "He throws that pitch that that looks like a strike 'til it isn't."

Hmmmmm...
 

Let's assume:

The clock begins with "PLAY!"

A half-inning averages 5 batters.

A batter completes his at-bat in an average of 1 minute (3-pitch average takes 40 seconds, plus the new batter appears immediately in the box every time).

There is an average of exactly one minute between the last out of a half-inning and the first pitch of the next.

The home team wins every time.

Under these conditions, a game zips along--even with substitutions, stolen bases, pick-off attempts, walks, errors and conferences, a half-inning averages six minutes. A six-and-a-half inning game takes 78 minutes, or 1:18. Add just one minute per half-inning--seven minutes is still quick--and then throw on the bottom of the seventh, and you're up to 1:38.

It may be not uncommon for individual umpires who manage games properly and are routinely rewarded with games played by talented teams, but "average" for an area? I'm talking about the mean time for all games played in an entire season. Read again the conditions it takes to move a game that quickly. That's not average, and I don't care where you live.

I don't advocate calling a strike when it isn't one, but I like lots of strikes and ground balls!

Never said I called a strike when it wasn't, on purpose. May have by accident. But my thinking is that it needs to prove to me that it is a ball before I call it a ball, otherwise it's a strike.

I have not worked a game this year, but I have beaten that. I have done games in an hour before. Then again those games are not full 7 innings, but an hour 20 for me is not totally out of the question in many 7 inning games. And I am not talking about scores that are 10-9.

Peace