The Shortest MLB Games Ever

When it comes to baseball, you never truly know what to expect in each game. It’s one of the few sports where the match can end within the first hour of playing or for upwards of nine hours! Ties are a no-go in baseball, so players must make their mark with each performance, as you never know how long you might be out on the field. 

In this article, we’ll mention the shortest MLB games ever to occur in MLB history. It’s also important to note that the games before 1994 were in the pre-wild card era, meaning wild-card teams wouldn’t advance to the playoffs. For consistency, we’ll refer to Baseball Almanacs MLB records of game length statistics to highlight the quickest games by recorded time.

Shortest MLB games: Post-Wild Card era

2002 – Tigers vs. Ryals (101 min)

We’ll start this comprehensive list with one of the few post-wildcard era games that occurred in less than two hours. The game took place at Comerica Park on July 24, 2002, lasting only one hour and 41 minutes.

The Royals would fail to score a single run, allowing the Tigers an easy 3-0 walk-through after scoring an early run in the 2nd inning. Detroit’s designated hitter Randall Simon would score two runs throughout the game, giving the Tigers two more tallies to the score in the bottom of the 7th.

2005 – White Sox vs. Mariners (99 min)

Another post-wildcard era match, which is one of the shortest MLB games ever, occurred on April 16, 2005, between the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners. In terms of modern baseball, this is the second fastest MLB game ever.

Chicago’s 1st baseman Paul Konerko would score early in the 2nd, followed by another in the 7th, giving the White Sox a steady lead into the end of the game. At the top of the 9th inning, Mariner’s right fielder Ichiro Suzuki would score one back for the Mariners only to fall short 2-1 as the final result.

Shortest MLB games: Pre-Wild Card era

1926 – Browns vs. Yankees (55 min)

Next up on the list of shortest MLB games by length of time, we have a game as far back as 1926 where the St. Louis Browns will take on a growing New York Yankees in the second game of the World Series. 

St Louis’ Bill Southworth contributed to one of the fastest baseball games by hitting a three-run homer, giving the Browns a 6-2 win and tying the series up 1-1. The match lasted for less than an hour, clocking a final time of 55 minutes played over nine innings, making it the second shortest MLB game in history by amount of time.

1919 – Phillies vs. Giants (51 min)

The fastest MLB game of all time happened on September 28, 1919, between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants. This is arguably baseball’s quickest-length game in history. Before the match, both teams agreed to set a new speed record in baseball in light of an upcoming doubleheader that was rescheduled to take place the next day.

Lasting a mere 51 minutes over nine innings, the New York Giants would cruise to victory with a 6-1 win, starting the series with a 1-0 lead. This would be the shortest nine-inning MLB game ever recorded in terms of time, a feat that still holds strong today.