Built on patience, precision, and unforgettable moments, baseball has stood as America’s pastime for more than a century. Yet, in a fast-paced, on-demand world, it is often pushed aside for flashier and faster sports that promise constant motion and instant excitement. In truth, baseball isn’t boring; it is overlooked because of its slower pace, hiding the strategic complexity and moments of intense action that make it enjoyable to those who watch. It is imperative that people watch baseball so they can see for themselves that what is considered a “boring” sport can actually be more entertaining than expected.
Like many other sports, baseball takes not only skill but also strategy, a fact often overlooked by viewers. According to an article written by Plate Crate, as of recent seasons, the average pitch in major league baseball is 93-94 miles per hour. Batters have about half a second to read the pitch, adjust their footing, and decide whether to swing. Men on base have to think about whether they should run to the next base, and the defense players have to adjust their position based on where hitters typically send the ball and decide which base to throw to. The whole game isn’t just physical capabilities, it’s also about making the right decision in a split second to win the game. It is a sport full of strategy and difficulty that goes unnoticed by people who only look at the surface of the game.
The lack of motion in baseball is made up for with suspense-filled moments— with strategic plays leading to big turning points in games.
“[Baseball is] extremely interesting to watch because of the number of outcomes of every scenario of every at-bat,” junior Ira Manav said. Instead of continuous running and scoring, such as seen in football and soccer, baseball has sudden bursts of action, like a double play or a series of home runs, that create excitement. Baseball is unpredictable, with a singular play having the ability to change the course of a game.
A very timely example of this unpredictability is the 2025 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers playing the Toronto Blue Jays. The World Series is often watched more in comparison to the regular baseball season because it is a bigger event that people are often more interested in. Similar to the World Cup, many people don’t tune in for the sport itself, and more so for the idea that they’re watching a big sporting event. The World Series is decided by a best-of-seven series where the winners are named the World Series Champions. This year, each game had its own unique outcome with big turning points throughout the game, leading to suspenseful and excitement-filled nights for those who watched.
Game One: Blue Jays win first game against the Dodgers of the World Series 11-4, with a grand slam by Addison Barger and two-run homer by Alejandro Kirk. A “grand slam” is a term used for when a batter hits a homerun with all the bases loaded. The Dodgers had a bullpen collapse, allowing the Jays to take a lead. “Bullpen” is used to refer to the group of relief pitchers on standby, ready to step in for the current pitcher.
Game Two: The Dodgers came back strong, winning the second game with a score of 5-1, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throwing a complete game by himself without needing help from the bullpen. Two home runs were hit for the Dodgers by Will Smith and Max Muncy.
Game Three: A long game of 18 innings, with both teams exhausting their bullpens. The game ended 6-5 in the Dodgers’ favor when Freddie Freeman hit a home run.
Game Four: The Blue Jays bounced back, scoring four runs in the seventh inning to end the game with a score of 6-2 against the Dodgers.
Game Five: Toronto puts in rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage, who played seven innings, striking out 12 batters. The Dodgers faltered, letting Toronto have the win with a score of 6-1. That gave the Jays a 3-2 lead in the series — only needing to win one of two games to be champions.
Game Six: Close to elimination, the Dodgers put in strong pitcher Yushinobu Yamamoto again. In the bottom of the ninth, two Toronto players were in scoring position due to a ground rule double, the ball getting stuck in-between two outfield mats. The Dodgers narrowly escaped with a score of 3-1 on a game-ending double-play, and forced game seven.
Game Seven: The most suspenseful game of the series started off with Toronto’s early lead of 3-0 after a home run by Bo Bichette. During the ninth inning, Miguel Rojas tied the game for the Dodgers with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. Finally, in the 11th inning, Will Smith hit a solo home run, leading to the World Series win and making the Dodgers the first team since 2000 to win back-to-back titles.
The whole series was very eventful, and only a small look into how exciting baseball can be. Many fans stayed up late into the night to watch the 18-inning game, and many held their breaths during the final game with each play that could have determined the World Series Champion. Both teams showed extreme resilience under pressure and brought excitement and anxiousness to each fan that watched.
“Although baseball is enjoyed by many, I have found trouble watching it, as the sport has become very boring to me,” junior Bradley Egan said. Despite the excitement baseball brings to some, others may still consider it boring. Why might this be?
Due to the way people are being entertained these days with quick and on-demand entertainment, slower-paced entertainment doesn’t keep short-attention spans engaged. Modern audiences look for quick entertainment, such as 15-second TikToks or fast-paced basketball and football games where something is always moving, which is something that baseball doesn’t always deliver. Baseball feels slow to those who aren’t used to games developing play by play, in turn not allowing the audience to learn the purpose of mound visits and defensive shifts.
“I think that [the scarcity of ‘big plays’] makes it even more exciting because each time something big happens on the field, like a home run, it is a lot more exciting than a simple first down or three-pointer,” Manav said. Baseball is simply pushed aside in a world that moves too fast to notice its slower-paced appeal.
Baseball can be seen as boring, but that simply isn’t true. Each play requires extreme skill, focus, and precision from each player, leading to tension and excitement building throughout each inning. Though the game does move slower than other sports such as football or basketball, its strategical aspects and big moments make the sport a thrilling experience for all who choose to pay attention and watch.
