Sports Illustrated - USA (2020-04)

SCORECARD

WILL THE THREE-BATTER MINIMUM SPEED UP BASEBALL? THE NUMBERS SAY NO

CHANGE OF PACE

GO FIGURE

It’s easy to look at the three-batter minimum and assume that it was proposed as a solution for

baseball’s growing pace-of-play problem. But in reality LOOGYs had already been declining on their

own for years before the new rule was announced. After peaking in 2015, one-batter appearances by

lefthanders have fallen with each passing season. And yet, games continue to get longer: Yes, frequent

pitching changes can add dead time, but they’re hardly the main culprit for pace-of-play woes.

In other words, the three-batter minimum didn’t doom the LOOGY; it just came to finish the job.

300

400

500

600

700

800

2:

2:

2:

3:

3:

3:

# Times LHP relievers faced exactly one bat ter Length of game

200

2

199

6

200

8

201

5

200

5

199

9

201

1

200

3

199

7

200

9

201

6

200

6

200

0

201

2

200

4

199

8

201

0

201

7

201

8

201

9

199

5

200

7

201

4

200

1

201

3

MIKE MYERS

avg. vs. lh: .219; vs. rh.

¬ With 314 LOOGY

appearances from 1995

to year 2007, Myers

is the king of the role.

There’s no one who

did more, and there

likely never will be.

RANDY CHOATE

avg. vs. lh: .195; vs. rh.

¬The LOOGY’s been in

decline since Choate’s

last game in 2015—and

no wonder. He’s the only

pitcher with more than

50 LOOGY appearances

in one season.

The most valuable

of the least

versatile man in

the bullpen

LEFTHANDED

COMPLIMENT

JESSE OROSCO

avg. vs. lh: .209; vs. rh.

¬ After a full decade

in the majors, Orosco

found a second wind

in his career as a

one-out specialist.

?`jnfib[\Óe\[k_\

role in the 1990s.

BY EMMA BACCELLIERI

FR

OM

(^) LE
FT:
(^) JO
HN
(^) IA
CON
O;
DAM
IAN
(^) ST
ROH
ME
YER
; (^) BR
AD
(^) MA
NG
IN;
IST
OC
KP
HO
TO/
GET
TY
IMA
GES
(^) (TR
OP
HY
BA
SE)