The 2017 season continues to run well ahead of the 2016 season at the same point, 9.14 runs per game this season versus 8.76 runs per game after nine weeks of 2016. All comparisons in this post are through nine weeks in the season. Home runs (0.2 more per game) and walks (0.3 more per game) are the culprits, as other hits are down 0.25 per game. Overall more batters are reaching base, despite pitchers striking out 16.45 batters per game, 0.45 more than last season. The majors keep moving toward a three-true outcome game.
Last week produced 9.88 runs per game, and you can see the 2017 season running well ahead of the last two on this chart. Last week produced the most home runs, 271, of any week this season, and the highest rate, 2.77 per game. (There were 98 games played last week, the most of any week this season.) There doesn’t appear to be any signs of slowing down.
Note that there is some evidence that nine runs per game is the optimum scoring level for baseball, that the game stays interesting for fans as good pitching and good hitting can exist at the same time. The three-true outcome game also rose in the 1950s, although in that era it was more about high walks than high strikeouts. Baseball in the 1950s was considered boring. I hope MLB realizes the problem and nudges the game away from that.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2rK6BEm
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