One writer timed every second and discovered something few fans had ever considered.
On June 21, 1956, the A’s pounded the Senators 15-6, racking up 15 hits and surviving a grand slam by young Washington “bonus player” Harmon Killebrew. But while the scoreboard lit up, a Kansas City sportswriter sat in the press box with a stopwatch, timing the action. In the 2 hours and 38 minutes it took to complete 8½ innings, the ball was in play for just 9 minutes and 55 seconds. His next-day breakdown offered a surprisingly meticulous look at where the rest of the time actually went.
🕵️ Inside Today’s Original Newspaper Coverage:
Who consumed more idle time, pitchers or hitters?
The slowest and quickest players revealed
How fast a batter must run to beat the double play
A second-inning pitching change under the clock
The original newspaper coverage of this moment is just below.
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