MLB average game time up nearly 4 minutes to 2:42, partly because of robot umpires

By: The Associated Press Posted: 10:58 AM CDT Monday, Sep. 28, 2026 Last Modified: 12:25 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 28, 2026

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NEW YORK (AP) — The average time of a nine-inning Major League Baseball game increased by 3 minutes, 43 seconds this season to 2 hours, 42 minutes following the introduction of robot umpires.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The average time of a nine-inning Major League Baseball game increased by 3 minutes, 43 seconds this season to 2 hours, 42 minutes following the introduction of robot umpires.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The average time of a nine-inning Major League Baseball game increased by 3 minutes, 43 seconds this season to 2 hours, 42 minutes following the introduction of robot umpires.

MLB said Monday that 61 seconds of this year’s increase was attributed to the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System, which allows batters, catchers and pitchers to appeal umpire ball/strike decisions to a computer.

MLB’s average fell from 3:04 in 2022 to 2:40 the following year when the pitch clock was instituted and decreased to 2:36 in 2024, its lowest since 1984’s 2:35. It rose to 2:38 last year.

FILE - A call is overturned to a walk by the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, displayed on the stadium screens, after Cincinnati Reds' Will Benson challenged at pitch result during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Cincinnati, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

The average game time passed three hours for the first time in 2016. It reached a record 3:10 in 2021 before the introduction of the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device helped bring it down to 3:04 in 2022.

Ten nine-inning games lasted 3:30 or longer this year, up from three last year. There were 391 such games in 2021. This year’s longest nine-inning game by time was the New York Yankees’ 9-7 win over Miami on April 4 at 3:49.

There were seven non-shortened games under 2 hours, the fastest being Philadelphia’s 1-0 win against Atlanta on Sept. 7 that took 1:51.

There were 209 extra-inning games, including 155 that went 10 innings, 36 that lasted 11, 14 that went 12 and four that extended to 13 innings.

In the seventh season of the “ghost runner,” who starts at second base in extra innings, visiting teams had a 107-102 advantage in games that went beyond nine innings. Last year, home teams had a 110-99 edge.

Teams that batted last are 673-687 in extra innings since 2020, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, a .495 winning percentage. From 2011-19, teams batting last were 982-925 for a .515 percentage, Elias said.

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