Nine innings two too many?

Their regular-season games were seven innings long. So were the games they played in last week’s Oneida County tournament.

 

Now, with the District V title and a berth in next week’s state championships at stake, American Legion baseball games from here on out are nine innings.

 

This is good baseball, to be sure. It’s not the major leagues, though. And too often, too many pitchers are throwing too many pitches because of those two extra innings. Arms can suffer, so can the game itself.

 

When you get to the postseason and you’re playing best-of-three series or double-elimination tournaments, few teams have enough pitching. Going from seven to nine innings makes it a different game, to be sure.

 

Do nine innings make it a better game? That’s debatable.