Tuesday, May 9, 2017

6 hours, 18 innings is NOT entertaining, nor a doubleheader.

Yankees 5, Cubs 4 in 18 innings.

Sunday, May 7, 2017
Start Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Attendance: 40,584
Venue: Wrigley Field
Game Duration: 6:05

That means that the game ended at 2:10 AM ET. I turned on the DVR after Yankee 70 innings a season, one inning at a time wonder at $17 million per season for 2017-2021 Aroldis Chapman blew a three run lead in the 9th inning while retiring only two batters. Watching the extra innings replay the next day my recording ran out in the 14th inning, which was good, since the game had long since devolved into a travesty.

This is due to two basic factors:
- baseball is still so primitive that is prohibits players from re-entering the game, which culminated with the final out being a pitcher, Kyle Hendricks, pinch "hitting" for a pitcher, Pedro Stop, and striking out after the Yankees intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo and pushed the tying run to second base just to get at Hendricks;

- baseball allows overtime (extra innings) in the regular season, violating one of my recommended constitutional amendments for team sports.

One game of 18 innings is not the same as a traditional, one admission doubleheader, which would have a 30 minute break between games and the basic common sense to have fresh lineups in game two, not a death march of survivors.

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