Baseball playoffs opened with a Guardians 2-1 victory over the Rays, a game that turned back the clock. Cleveland and Tampa Bay finished their game in just two hours and 17 minutes, which is the quickest postseason game since 1999. It is also the first time an MLB playoff game finished in under 2:20 since 2006.
The recipe for a game that short is good starting pitching and few offensive rallies, which is exactly what happened. Both the Guardians’ Shane Bieber and the Rays’ Shane McClanahan pitched at least seven innings, and each team only used one reliever in addition to their starter.
ESPN noted on the broadcast that last postseason, there was not a game played where both teams had their starters go seven innings.
