Yankees and Marlins Defy Pitch Clock: Longest Nine-Inning Game Since 2023
In a season that’s seen Major League Baseball’s pitch clock bring game times to a faster pace, the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins managed to defy the trend during their Saturday night matchup. The Yankees’ 9-7 victory over the Marlins lasted an astounding 3 hours, 49 minutes, making it the longest nine-inning game since the pitch clock was introduced at the start of the 2023 season.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this game broke the previous nine-inning record of 3 hours, 45 minutes, set during an Oakland Athletics’ 7-6 win over the New York Mets on August 15, 2024.

Why Was This Game So Long?
A variety of factors contributed to the extended length of the game. For one, the Yankees and Marlins combined for a massive 379 pitches thrown by 13 pitchers throughout the contest. The Marlins’ pitchers were particularly wild, issuing 10 walks, which contributed to a total of 21 runners left on base, including 12 by the Marlins alone. These missed opportunities, coupled with high pitch counts, certainly prolonged the game, despite the pitch clock’s presence.

Pitch Clock Impact on MLB Games
MLB introduced the pitch clock in 2023 to speed up game times, and it certainly had its intended effect in reducing the average duration of games. The average nine-inning game time dropped from 3:04 in 2022 to 2:40 in 2023, and further decreased to 2:36 in 2024, marking the lowest game time since 1984.

Despite the pitch clock’s efficiency, this game served as a reminder that certain elements—like walks, pitching changes, and runners left on base—can still create extended contests. In fact, the average MLB game time surpassed 3 hours for the first time in 2016, reaching a record-high 3:10 in 2021 before the introduction of the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device, which helped bring the time down to 3:04 in 2022.

Record-Breaking Stats Despite the Speeding Efforts
Even with the pitch clock in place, some games—like this one between the Yankees and Marlins—are bound to defy the trend. MLB will continue to monitor game times as teams like the Yankees and Marlins test the limits of the speeding efforts, but this matchup is a reminder that baseball is still a sport where pitching control and game management can easily extend a game’s duration.

This contest, although an outlier, highlights the complexity of baseball, where even the introduction of speed-oriented rules can’t always reduce the time when multiple factors come into play. It’ll be interesting to see how teams adjust moving forward, as the balance between speed and the strategic nuances of the game continues to evolve.