MLB Average Game Times Increased Following Robot Umpires and ABS Challenge System

Major League Baseball's use of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System this season has been met with significant praise , but it also made the games longer.

The Associated Press reported Monday the average time of a nine-inning game this season was two hours and 42 minutes, which is three minutes and 43 seconds longer than it was last year without the ABS system and strike-ball challenges in place.

The AP noted MLB said 61 seconds of this season's increase was because of ABS, although the average game length is still well down from 2022 when it was three hours and four minutes.

MLB instituted the pitch clock after that 2022 campaign, which has consistently meant games lasting fewer than three hours.

And that was once again the case this season even though there was a slight increase.