OT: Baseball Scheduling

[Pitt_Boss]

No, this isn't a question about why the Pirates play on Saturdays in September

Why do MLB team always have the day off after their Opening Day game? A lot years the first game would be like Mon/Tues/Wed so it made some kind of sense to squeeze that day off in there and avoid an early season weekday date that is likely to draw little in many places. But like this year, the Pirates open on Thursday and then don't have a game on Friday? Makes no sense. There are many MLB teams off today, the first Friday night of the season.

 

[pittdan77]

No, this isn't a question about why the Pirates play on Saturdays in September

Why do MLB team always have the day off after their Opening Day game? A lot years the first game would be like Mon/Tues/Wed so it made some kind of sense to squeeze that day off in there and avoid an early season weekday date that is likely to draw little in many places. But like this year, the Pirates open on Thursday and then don't have a game on Friday? Makes no sense. There are many MLB teams off today, the first Friday night of the season.

Always thought it had to do with weather since April can be pretty sketchy. Easier to pigeonhole a makeup game.

 

[happjack]

No, this isn't a question about why the Pirates play on Saturdays in September

Why do MLB team always have the day off after their Opening Day game? A lot years the first game would be like Mon/Tues/Wed so it made some kind of sense to squeeze that day off in there and avoid an early season weekday date that is likely to draw little in many places. But like this year, the Pirates open on Thursday and then don't have a game on Friday? Makes no sense. There are many MLB teams off today, the first Friday night of the season.

It's so they can just push "Opening Day" back a day if it rains or snows, I think most Northeast and Midwest teams do this.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It's so they can just push "Opening Day" back a day if it rains or snows, I think most Northeast and Midwest teams do this.

Yeah, this is it. And I don't know if teams still do this or not, but there was a time when you bought a ticket to opening day your ticket was for opening day. If that was scheduled on a Tuesday and the game was postponed until Wednesday your ticket was valid for Wednesday. You couldn't use a rain check, like you can for a normal game that gets postponed. What that did was guarantee the home team that all those tickets sold for the home opener were absolutely going to be used at the first game of the season, no exceptions.

Which from a money standpoint teams loved. It meant that if your opener did get postponed it didn't matter that only 25,000 showed up to the rescheduled game, you got the full revenue from all 40,000 that bought a ticket.

 

[Pitt_Boss]

Thanks, makes sense on the makeup day. Still doesn't make sense that a bunch of teams have Friday off, they should have started Wed and have Thurs off. I'll forget all about it soon enough since baseball season last longer than most marriages.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Thanks, makes sense on the makeup day. Still doesn't make sense that a bunch of teams have Friday off, they should have started Wed and have Thurs off. I'll forget all about it soon enough since baseball season last longer than most marriages.

Since your question was answered I’m going to hijack the thread instead of starting a new one.

As I sit here on a Saturday morning poised to watch 2 EPL matches essentially in the amount of time it takes to watch 1 college football game, how does every feel about the pitch clock in baseball? I hear a couple games were like 2:15 in length. That’s awesome.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Just took a quick peruse of last nights games, my eyes were drawn straight to the 2-1 game between the Mets and Marlins, and it was completed in 2:09.

A 9-4 game in Seattle still took 3:05 to play, but I bet that would have been 4 hours a year ago.

A 10-9 game in St Louis took 3:38…I can’t imagine how long that one would have been a year ago.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Just took a quick peruse of last nights games, my eyes were drawn straight to the 2-1 game between the Mets and Marlins, and it was completed in 2:09.

A 9-4 game in Seattle still took 3:05 to play, but I bet that would have been 4 hours a year ago.

A 10-9 game in St Louis took 3:38…I can’t imagine how long that one would have been a year ago.

Even the Pirate game Thursday was just over three hours. In a game that the pitchers walked a total of seemingly 117 batters. That would have been at least close to a four hour game last year, between all the walks and all the dawdling the pitchers would have done with all those guys on base.

 

[Burgh15]

Since your question was answered I’m going to hijack the thread instead of starting a new one.

As I sit here on a Saturday morning poised to watch 2 EPL matches essentially in the amount of time it takes to watch 1 college football game, how does every feel about the pitch clock in baseball? I hear a couple games were like 2:15 in length. That’s awesome.

I'm good with it. A two and a half hour game is the sweet spot for me so I'm in favor of rules and broadcast adjustments that help achieve this.

 

[Pitt_Boss]

Honestly, the clock changes make no difference to me. I watch a lot of baseball, but rarely the whole game. If the Pirates have like 160 televised games, I probably legit watch parts of 140+. But I just watch a few innings around whatever else I am doing.

 

[wbrpanther]

Always thought it had to do with weather since April can be pretty sketchy. Easier to pigeonhole a makeup game.

Yeah? So why do they schedule so many openers in the northern cities. Make the northern teams play in the south for the first week to 10 days. You’ll most likely have at least a better chance for good weather then.

 

[pittdan77]

Yeah? So why do they schedule so many openers in the northern cities. Make the northern teams play in the south for the first week to 10 days. You’ll most likely have at least a better chance for good weather then.

Good question. Frankly, I don't understand why the start so early and finish so late. Really think baseball would be more exciting if the season was shorter and there was more on the line for each game.

 

[wbrpanther]

Good question. Frankly, I don't understand why the start so early and finish so late. Really think baseball would be more exciting if the season was shorter and there was more on the line for each game.

Definitely but you know. It's the money.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Good question. Frankly, I don't understand why the start so early and finish so late. Really think baseball would be more exciting if the season was shorter and there was more on the line for each game.

i think a few sports would be so much better if they shortened their seasons. obviously it wont happen for money reasons though but if i had my wish:

MLB: 126-130 games
NHL: 54-58 games


on the flip side, i'd like to see the NFL increase to 18 games but have bigger rosters, allow 62 - 65 players on a team.. again, this cuts into revenue so it wont happen..

College football i feel is good now at 12 games, especially if they are going to more playoff format..

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Just took a quick peruse of last nights games, my eyes were drawn straight to the 2-1 game between the Mets and Marlins, and it was completed in 2:09.

A 9-4 game in Seattle still took 3:05 to play, but I bet that would have been 4 hours a year ago.

A 10-9 game in St Louis took 3:38…I can’t imagine how long that one would have been a year ago.

 

[sonofabit]

Haven’t done the leg work but aren’t there enough domes and warm climate sites to cover early April games?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Haven’t done the leg work but aren’t there enough domes and warm climate sites to cover early April games?

Not really.

But even if there were, we all understand that the owners of teams in warm weather cities and teams with domed stadiums don't want to always play the first couple weeks of the season at home, when school is in session and attendance is lower, right?

 

[happjack]

Not really.

But even if there were, we all understand that the owners of teams in warm weather cities and teams with domed stadiums don't want to always play the first couple weeks of the season at home, when school is in session and attendance is lower, right?

Plus teams in colder climates don't want their "Opening Day" a week into the season every year.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Yeah the off day is in case of a postponement. I believe not too many years into PNC Park opening day was postponed as we sat in the old Hi Tops bar waiting and waiting.

What I never could figure out, is why not start the first two series in warm weather, West Coast or closed stadiums.

As for the pitch clock? I can't think of a better, more sensible and universally approved rule in sports that initiating it.

 

[jtownknowitall]

If games are only going to take 2 1/2 hours to play, the Pirates can move their 6:30 start time back to 7 or even 7:30.