MLB creates new committee to improve pace of play

Major League Baseball has convened a new committee to study the issue of pace of game.

Major League Baseball has convened a new committee to study the issue of pace of game, the league announced Monday.

The committee will attempt to find ways to decrease the length of games and improve overall pace beginning as soon as 2015.

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Outgoing commissioner Bud Selig has said in recent months that he's "aggravated" by the slow pace of games and that he wants to address the issue before he leaves office in January. As of late August, games were taking an average of three hours and two minutes to complete, up from two hours and 46 minutes in 2003.

"With the cooperation of all appropriate parties, we can make progress on improving the pace of play, and we will have recommendations in the very near future for the 2015 season," Selig said in a statement. "I believe that this group has the experience and the perspective to be mindful of our game's traditions while being creative about our approach in the future."

The committee will be chaired by Atlanta Braves president John Schuerholz and includes New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, Boston Red Sox partner Michael Gordon, MLB COO and commissioner-in-waiting Rob Manfred, MLB VP of baseball operations Joe Torre and Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.

Common proposed solutions to shorten games include decreasing the time pitchers can take between pitches and restricting the number of times batters can step out of the box between pitches.

- Ben Estes