Since the implementation of the pitch clock in MLB last year, the average game time has dramatically decreased.
This has been pleasant for both hardcore and casual baseball fans.
What happened on Wednesday between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians, however, was impressive even for pitch clock era standards.
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck threw a complete game shutout.
Those are already rare these days in the era of workloads and managers avoiding having their pitchers face the opposing lineup three times.
However, the truly impressive feat was the time he needed to completely dominate the Guardians lineup for nine innings.
“The Tanner Houck Game! 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. 94 pitches, 69 strikes, 29 batters faced, 1 hour, 49 minutes,” Boston Strong tweeted.
The Tanner Houck Game!
9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
94 pitches, 69 strikes
29 batters faced
1 hour, 49 minutes pic.twitter.com/T5PrGVH9Qe— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) April 18, 2024
Wow.
We have grown accustomed to games lasting fewer than three hours since MLB changed the rules and forced pitchers to work faster.
However, fewer than two hours is next-level crazy.
Houck didn’t even walk anyone in the nine frames and only allowed three hits, all singles.
He took his season ERA to a rock solid 1.35, and earned the respect from fans from all over the country and the world for his brilliant performance.
Oh, and Houck only need 94 pitches to get through the first-place Guardians, which makes it all the more impressive.
It was truly an amazing accomplishment and a cool thing to tell his grandchildren one day.
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