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Several teams are following the Baltimore Orioles’ lead and will begin selling alcohol at the ballpark through the eighth inning of games.
With the MLB pitch clock dramatically speeding up the pace of play on the field, several teams are now beginning to see what the Orioles saw and are increasingly eschewing the traditional seventh inning cut off, giving fans in the stands an extra six outs to get their drinks in.
The Orioles, who saw the writing on the wall, are now joined by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers in giving fans Happy Hour for an extra inning.
While the Orioles were ahead of the curve in selling through the eighth (or 3 ½ hours after first pitch, whichever comes first), the cross-town Washington Nationals are still cutting off fans before the Seventh Inning Stretch at Nationals Park.
Pace of play has long been a source of consternation for MLB officials, who took drastic measures this season to speed up the game and get more action on the field, including a variety of new rule changes.
In the early part of the 2023 season, games are down from three hours, six minutes (3:06) last year to two hours, 38 (2:38) minutes this season, much to the delight of many fans.
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