Next Round: Indians, for Which the Clock Watchers Are Thankful

Count me among those who chuckled at the observations that the Indians defeated the Yankees on Columbus Day. But more importantly, count me among the relieved that we won’t be suffering through any of the infamous Red Sox vs. Yankees marathons that kept so many of us sleep-deprived back in 2003 and 2004.

It is said that Red Sox vs. Yankees games run longer than your average major league baseball game, but I got wondering last night if that is really true. So I did a little research on game lengths during the 2007 Red Sox season (read: looked at 162 box scores, just because I could) and found that it isn’t just an urban legend.

• Average Red Sox game time (all regular season games): 3:08
• Average time excluding Yankees games: 3:06
• Average time excluding Yankees games and extra-inning contests: 3:03
• Average time of games against the Yankees: 3:31

That’s right folks, it takes an average of 28 minutes longer to play a regulation game against the Yankees than against other teams. Interestingly, the next longest games were played against Arizona (three games averaging 3:24 in length, including one 10-inning game), which doesn’t bode well for my sleep schedule should the Sox and D-backs meet in the World Series. The Rockies series went much faster, 2:56 on average. Games against Cleveland were close to par for the season, 3:07. And just in case you were wondering, games against Minnesota were the quickest at 2:46.

So what were the team’s fastest games in 2007? Funny you should ask, as I happen to have that information right here:

1. June 7 – 2:10. This was Curt Schilling’s one-hit masterpiece against Oakland, which would have been even better if he hadn’t shaken off the Captain with two out in the ninth.
2. September 17 – 2:13. Sir Speedy, Tim Wakefield, got the win in a 6-1 game at Toronto.
3. April 6 – 2:14. A 2-0 loss in Texas, this game was also started by Tim Wakefield.
4. September 29 – 2:17. The Sox beat the Twins 6-4, which is lots of scoring in such a short game. Yep, Wakefield pitched.
5. May 10 – 2:18. It didn’t take the Sox long to score 8 runs off Roy Halladay and shut out the Jays. The Boston starter was some knuckleballer.
6. July 16 – 2:18. Kason Gabbard threw a three-hit complete game, shutting out Kansas City 4-0.
7. April 11 – 2:22. Another one-hit shutout, this one by Daisuke Matsuzaka.
8. April 18 – 2:24. A 4-1 win over Toronto. Guess who the Sox starter was. Hint: his initials are T.W.
9. June 6 – 2:25. Oakland beat the Sox 3-2. I’m not going to bother telling you who pitched for Boston.
10. June 12 – 2:25. Wakefield again, a 2-1 win against Colorado.

You may have noticed that Clay Buchholz’ September 1 no-hitter isn’t on the list. That one took 3:02, but only because the Sox scored 10 runs. Surely you remember your annoyance when our guys wouldn’t stop hitting in that interminable bottom of the 8th.

Anyhoo, back to the original topic, which is that we’re fortunate to have drawn the Indians in the ALCS, and if we advance, we’ll get the most sleep facing the Rockies. The Diamondbacks would be a nightmare, between the long games and the time difference. Arizona, though situated in the Mountain time zone, forgoes Daylight Savings Time, so they’re currently in sync with the west coast. My eyes are heavy just thinking about it.