Paul Goldschmidt and other batters won’t have to wait around for this anymore. (Norm Hall/Getty Images) 
 
 Tuesday brought news of a relatively small but noteworthy change being implemented by MLB this season: Intentional walks will now be granted to hitters with a signal from the opposing dugout, rather than by having the pitcher throw four obvious balls. While the baseball powers that be, such as Commissioner Rob Manfred, see the move as helping speed games up, not everyone is thrilled to see the four-pitch intentional walk go the way of the dodo. 
 
 [Analysis: Baseball kills off a part of history, and gains almost nothing] 
 
 For one thing, while it seems like the simplest of acts to lob four pitches to a catcher standing well away from the batter’s box, things can and do occasionally go awry, which is always fun. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis pointed out on Twitter that he has twice scored on errant pitches during intentional walks, one of which was featured in a video posted by another Twitter user. 
 
 But I’ve scored twice on an overthrow during an intentional walk… https://t.co/cSHhsBQknY — Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) February 22, 2017 
 
 •The MLB has approved to change the intentional walk rule. Which now will be granted following dugout signal. Take a look at these classics. pic.twitter.com/g3iyEW5kB3 — Dylan (@DylansFreshTake) February 22, 2017 
 
 I'm kind of disappointed to see the intentional walk disappear if only because I loved to see it botched every now and then. — Baseball Joe Veyera (@JoeVeyera) February 22, 2017 
 
 The flip side of that scenario comes when a pitcher actually gets his lob a little too close to the strike zone and an intrepid batter goes for it. That’s fun, too! 
 
 As we say goodbye to the intentional walk(for now), I'd like to remind everyone of this absolute boss moment from Miggy. pic.twitter.com/KouH4Ixvew — Jason Ochart (@Jason_cOchart) February 22, 2017 
 
 @Tony_Frye I saw Will Clark single on an attempted intentional walk. It was awesome. Make them throw the dang pitches. — Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) February 22, 2017 
 
 Some online commenters made the case that the rule change will be so inconsequential, it’s hardly worth it. 
 
 Intentional walks took an estimated 1410 minutes in 2016. 
 
 That is 35 seconds per game. Is the automatic IBB really gonna fix pace of play? — MLB Statistics (@MLBRandomStats) February 22, 2017 
 
 932 intentional walks in 2,428 games last season. A baseball game is now, on average, 1.5 pitches shorter. — Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) February 22, 2017 
 
 Others, not surprisingly, took things in a less serious direction. 
 
 I like the moment of the intentional walk especially late in the game. I want the guy on deck to have enough time to get properly offended. — Royals Nation (@RoyalsNation) February 22, 2017 
 
 Instead of cutting the intentional walk, make it more exciting! All intentional walks to be thrown by the center fielder, minimum 300 feet. — Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) February 21, 2017 
 
 But if the ol’ four-pitch IBB must go, can we at least have some fun with the dugout signal? Twitter certainly thought we should (note: there were lots of middle-finger suggestions that won’t be passed along here). 
 
 Dugout signal: Manager must mimic Walk like an Egyptian dance. https://t.co/Rx8jjbxPiG — Matt Wurst (@mwurst) February 22, 2017 
 
 This should be the new intentional walk signal. pic.twitter.com/xgLOrcL1lC — Greg Tepper (@Tepper) February 22, 2017 ||||| Major League Baseball is considering eliminating the four pitches it requires to intentionally walk a batter with the goal of making the game faster. If the proposed rule passes, games will indeed be faster. You just might not notice. 
 
 Last season, teams issued just 932 free passes in 2,427 games. The Count randomly sampled 10 of them and calculated they took 37.25 seconds on average. So when you do all the math, the net result is... ||||| Baseball hopes instant replay will help it avoid blown calls such as this one from 2010, when the Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald, right, appears to be out at first base as Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, who would've had a perfect game if Donald had been called out, takes the throw. Umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe on the play, then admitted he got it wrong. (Photo: The Associated Press) Story Highlights New replay system will give managers three challenges per game, but only one before 7th inning 
 
 System expands plays that review can be used to plays in the field and base-running calls 
 
 Major League Baseball wants to put system in for 2014, then review it after the season 
 
 COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Hello, 21st century, Major League Baseball finally is coming your way. 
 
 Baseball, which has largely resisted the technological advances of TV cameras, announced Thursday that it's ready to embrace all-encompassing instant replay, adding it for the start of the 2014 season on nearly every questionable play but the strike zone. 
 
 SELIG: 'Historic' day for baseball 
 
 Who knows what's next in store, but the initial phase already is baseball's most sweeping technological change since its first night game in 1935. 
 
 "It's historic, there's no question about it'' Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said after the conclusion of the owners' meetings here. "We did it in my usual slow process, but a good one.'' 
 
 REACTION: Managers, players just want the right calls 
 
 The replay proposal, which still must be approved by a formal vote of the owners in November, and agreed to by the Major League Baseball Players Association and umpires' union, would cover plays that accounted for about 89% of the incorrect calls in the past, said Atlanta Braves president John Schuerholz, who led an MLB study along with career baseball men Joe Torre and Tony La Russa. 
 
 BLOWN CALLS: 7 plays that replay would have reversed 
 
 And, if you can believe it, MLB says its replay system could speed up the game. Schuerholz said arguments over calls typically run longer than three minutes, but claimed the replays can be reviewed and decided in less than 90 seconds. 
 
 "That's what they told us,'' said one National League owner who asked not to be named because the plan is still under consideration, "but I'll believe it when I see it.'' 
 
 Q&A: Expanded instant replay 
 
 This will be Phase 1 of baseball's recovery program out of the dark ages, with MLB planning to review and modify the replay system, Schuerholz says, after the 2014 season. 
 
 "Of course I like it,'' Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon says. "I like flat-screen TVs with high definition. I like air conditioning in my 1956 Bel Air. I like computers. 
 
 "That group that argues against technology and advancement, I challenge them to throw away all this stuff. Their microwaves, throw them away. To just bury your head in the sand and just reference old-school all the time is really a poor argument. 
 
 "This is our time to make the right decision. Live with it, understand it. It makes thing better, makes things more accurate, so what's wrong with that?'' 
 
 BACK: Dodgers return as kings of West Coast 
 
 Schuerholz said the move is a "chance for baseball to dramatically reduce the number of incorrect calls that are made in any game that impacts the outcome of the game, and hence, the outcome of division races.'' 
 
 It still has come nearly 30 years too late for former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog says, who still bristles at first-base umpire Don Denkinger's blown call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. Denkinger missed the call at first base in the ninth inning, enabling the Kansas City Royals to win the game, and a day later, the World Series. 
 
 Yet, it may help assure there are no more infamous blown calls, such as Jim Joyce's missed call that ruled a Cleveland Indians runner safe with two outs in the ninth inning on June 2, 2010, ruining Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga's perfect game. 
 
 The replay system gives baseball managers three replay challenges a game. They will have one replay challenge available in the first six innings, and then two challenges beginning in the seventh inning through the game's duration. 
 
 But sorry, managers will have no red flags to throw on the field to initiate challenges like NFL coaches. 
 
 "We thought about a red ball,'' Schuerholz said, laughing. 
 
 PHOTOS: PLAYERS, MANAGERS GET EJECTED 
 
 Upon further review, baseball will go the old-fashioned route, with the managers still coming onto the field and alert the home-plate umpire. 
 
 Just like the NFL – which began replay in 1986 and went to its current system in 1999 – if a manager's replay challenge is upheld, he will not be charged with a challenge. An umpiring crew will be allowed to call for its own review only to determine home-run calls – a rule that went into effect in 2008. 
 
 Yes, fans and the media will now have yet another way to second-guess managers – to challenge or not to challenge? 
 
 "Managers will have a new tool that they will have to learn how to use. They may have some wonderment, or consternation, perhaps," Schuerholz said. "We believe that with conversation and training and understanding, they will feel as comfortable managing the use of that asset. I think that managers will learn to judiciously initiate their challenges. 
 
 "Everybody is embracing it, and we believe that managers will in time.'' 
 
 Well, before the managers begin their restless nights trying to decipher the art of the replay challenge, baseball still needs to get the umpires union to agree to the new system. The majority of umpires are strongly in favor of expanded replay, but with more technology, they want to make sure no jobs are eliminated. They want the replay booth to be manned by an active umpiring crew, not low-paid technicians. 
 
 "I can't comment on it,'' said Joe West, president of the world umpires association, told USA TODAY Sports. "It's in the negotiating stages." 
 
 Yet umpires love the idea that if there's a blown call, a manager will be blamed for misusing his challenges, instead of umpires hearing their own names berated on sportscasts. 
 
 There's only one blown call every five games, according to MLB's research, but those blown calls have a shelf-life that can last a lifetime. Just ask Denkinger and Joyce. 
 
 "The umpires are very, very receptive to this,'' Schuerholz said. "They have spent enough time being abused or being the butt of bad comments about what's happened, and what's been viewed on replays." 
 
 "Not only do you want to get it right,'' Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin says, "you also want to get it right quickly.'' 
 
 While Selig believes baseball will formally adopt replay Nov. 13 at their next quarterly meetings in Orlando, Fla., the owners still will have to make their own call on how much it's worth. The start-up fees for the replay system will be $25 million to $40 million with annual fees, one MLB official told USA TODAY Sports, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations. 
 
 Yet, the owners were told that MLB will attempt to recoup a bulk of the annual operating costs with corporate sponsorship of the replays, minimizing the fees. 
 
 "Ultimately, I think it's a good thing,'' Oakland A's infielder Jed Lowrie said. "It would be hard to argue with getting the call right. There's no reason, with the technology we have, with the camera angles we can produce now, not to take advantage of it.'' 
 
 And, for those who miss the days of Earl Weaver screaming into the faces of umpires and Lou Piniella throwing bases in the air, those temper tantrums won't be eliminated. 
 
 "Arguments will be still part of the game,'' MLB vice president La Russa told USA TODAY Sports, "we're not going to eliminate that.'' 
 
 Baseball, after all, still has a tradition to keep. 
 
 Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter: @BNightengale 
 
 ******** 
 
 MLB expands replay 
 
 Here's a summary of the new instant replay rules announced by baseball on Thursday 
 
 Current rules: The umpire crew chief can call for a replay only to review home-run calls -- whether a ball is fair or foul, cleared the fence or was interfered with by a fan. 
 
 2014 changes: Replay will be extended to include whether a base-runner is safe or out, or whether a fielder caught or trapped a ball. Replay cannot be used to dispute whether a pitch was a ball or a strike. 
 
 Challenges: Managers will receive three challenges per game, one in the first six innings, and two for the seventh inning or later. Similar to the NFL, a manager won't be charged with a review if he wins the challenge. 
 
 Final call: Baseball's central offices in New York will have replay cameras monitored by officials with umpiring experience. They will make the final call on disputed plays, not the game's crew chief. ||||| Getty Images SNOREFEST: Analyzing three different games with an average 2 hour 58-minute duration, the WSJ calculated total inaction versus action time. Pictured, two fans snooze during a Brewers vs. Cardinals game in May. 
 
 In any given year, roughly 70 million people will attend major-league baseball games. A lucky handful will be treated to something unforgettable: a no-hitter, a walk-off grand slam, a player stealing home. Many more fans will see towering home runs, late-inning rallies and diving catches. But there is one thing every single fan who buys a ticket is 100% guaranteed to see: a bunch of grown men standing in a field, doing absolutely nothing. 
 
 Baseball is remembered for its moments of action, and it is no secret that such moments are fleeting. But how much actual action takes place in a baseball game? We decided to find out. 
 
 By WSJ calculations, a baseball fan will see 17 minutes and 58 seconds of action over the course of a three-hour game. This is roughly the equivalent of a TED Talk, a Broadway intermission or the missing section of the Watergate tapes. A similar WSJ study on NFL games in January 2010 found that the average action time for a football game was 11 minutes. So MLB does pack more punch in a battle of the two biggest stop-and-start sports. By seven minutes. 
 
 Baseball is remembered for its moments of action, and it is no secret that such moments are fleeting. But how much actual action takes place in a baseball game? Geoff Foster has the breakdown. 
 
 The WSJ reached this number by taking the stopwatch to three different games and timing everything that happened. We then categorized the parts of the game that could fairly be considered "action" and averaged the results. The almost 18-minute average included balls in play, runner advancement attempts on stolen bases, wild pitches, pitches (balls, strikes, fouls and balls hit into play), trotting batters (on home runs, walks and hit-by-pitches), pickoff throws and even one fake-pickoff throw. This may be generous. If we'd cut the action definition down to just the time when everyone on the field is running around looking for something to do (balls in play and runner advancement attempts), we'd be down to 5:47. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Getty Images 51 MIN 27 SEC: TIME BETWEEN PITCHES during a Nationals vs. Reds game. Pictured, Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Getty Images 55 SEC: INJURY 'TIMEOUTS' Detroit's Joaquin Benoit gets a fingernail trimmed by a trainer during Tigers vs. Twins game. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Getty Images 46 MIN 50 SEC: TIME BETWEEN BATTERS during an Indians vs. Astros game. Pictured, Cleveland's Nick Swisher at bat. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Associated Press 6 MIN 26 SEC: IN-INNING PITCHING CHANGES during the Twins vs. Tigers game. Pitcher Joaquin Benoit reacts before being taken out. 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Getty Images 30 SEC: MANAGER ARGUMENT Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker argues with the umpire on a successful steal 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Getty Images 1 MIN 33 SEC: INJURY DOWN TIME Cleveland's Drew Stubbs is tended by a trainer after fouling a ball off his knee 
 
 Enlarge Image Close Getty Images 4 MIN 1 SEC: BALLS IN PLAY during the Reds vs. National game. Reds batter Cesar Izturis takes off from home plate. 
 
 We chose three very different games to get a fair sampling of variation. The first game was as close as we could find to an average game in terms of batters faced and length of game—a 3-2 Twins win over the Tigers on April 3 that clocked in at 3:01 for nine innings. (The average MLB game this season is three hours and three minutes, according to the firm Stats LLC.) Then, for balance, we decided to throw in a slugfest—the Indians 19-6 victory over the Astros from April 20 at 3:45 and a pitchers' duel, the Nationals 1-0 victory over the Reds on April 26 that lasted 2:08. The sample conveniently included both leagues and six different teams. 
 
 So where did all the time go? The missing 160 or so minutes? The answer: Huge chunks of inaction that absolutely dwarf everything else that goes on in the game. 
 
 The "time between batters" averaged 33:39. This is knocking the weighted donut off the bat, announcing the batter, the walk-up song, cleaning the cleats, maybe some form of the old Rosanne spitting and crotch-grabbing routine. On TV, replays, players involved in the last play and crowd shots are often shown here. The time between batters concludes when the pitcher begins throwing to the new batter. In the slugfest, the time was almost 47 minutes, because there are a lot of batters in a game with 25 runs. 
 
 The "time between innings" averaged 42:41. This is time to watch the scoreboard, watch the silly on-field contest (particularly at minor league parks), visit the refreshment stand or the bathroom, or both. On TV this is simply commercial time. 
 
 By far the most time-consuming period of inaction is the "time between pitches." This took up an average of 1:14:49. That's not all that far from half the WSJ analysis's average game time of 2:58. Technically, the time between pitches begins when the pitch to the batter who saw the last pitch concludes—either when the catcher catches the ball or it is fouled off—and ends when the pitcher begins his next pitch. So it includes the unstrapping and re-strapping the batting gloves, sleeve adjusting, helmet adjusting, practice swings, plus the pitcher doing whatever it is he does as well. 
 
 Then there are the signs and the stare-down. Finally, motion from the set position begins the pitch. Sometimes the pitcher will walk around or pick up the rosin bag, sometimes more than one sign will be necessary, sometimes the batter calls time and the whole process starts over. There are about 150 pitches thrown by each team in the average MLB game. The clock keeps ticking. 
 
 The amount of inertia during a major-league game has been on the rise. This season's average game time of three hours and three minutes is the longest game duration since Stats LLC started tracking the numbers in 1987, the firm said. In 1987, the average was two hours, 52 minutes. John Thorn, Major League Baseball's official historian, attributes the trend to hitters' increased patience at the plate, which leads to their taking and fouling off more pitches. That, in turn, leads to pitchers' throwing more pitches, hence longer games. The increase also stems from the number of television commercials between half-innings, though there isn't much that can be done about that, Mr. Thorn said. "The underlying financial support of the game is a key feature of its continuing prosperity," he said. 
 
 Yet keeping each game moving as briskly as possible has been a goal of baseball's overseers for more than 150 years. In 1858—before called balls and strikes even existed—Section 37 of the sport's official rules said, "Should a striker stand at the bat without striking at good balls repeatedly pitched to him, for the purpose of delaying the game or of giving advantage to a player, the umpire, after warning him, shall call one strike, and if he persists in such action, two and three strikes." And since 1901, baseball has mandated that a pitcher must deliver the ball to a batter within 20 seconds after receiving it from the catcher—a rule that umpires have rarely enforced. 
 
 Of course, there are moments in our sample that are beyond the control of any rule book. One of the most frequently blamed reasons for turning games into snorefests are the pitching changes. In our three-game sample, we totaled three inaction categories related to pitching changes. There was one catcher visit to the mound, for 52 seconds. There were three mound visits without a pitching change that averaged a minute and 19 seconds each. There were five in-inning pitching changes (all including a mound visit, of course) that averaged 3:11 per pitching change. 
 
 Also included in the "down time" were the arguments with the umpires, a highly visible part of any manager's job. Our games contained two small squabbles—Indians Manager Terry Francona discussed a foul tip (1:05) and Reds Manager Dusty Baker had a mild argument over a successful stolen base attempt by Washington (just 30 seconds). 
 
 Some of the most unpredictable moments in the game, in our games at least, were injury "timeouts." In our three-hour game, Joaquin Benoit had to have his fingernail trimmed by the trainer for 55 seconds. In the slugfest, Drew Stubbs needed a minute and 33 seconds worth of medical attention after fouling a ball off his knee. In the same game, a trainer tended to the home plate umpire's wrist for 38 seconds after he got hit with a foul ball. Finally, in the pitchers' duel, Jordan Zimmermann had to have his forearm checked out after getting hit by a batted ball for 1:04. Fortunately for Zimmermann, he was able to complete his best start of the season so far, a one-hitter. 
 
 Our three-game averages don't tell the whole story, of course. Only the slugfest included home runs, which brings down the average home-run trot time. The slugfest produced five home runs which totaled 1:53 in total trotting time for an average of 23 seconds per trot. 
 
 The longest pure-action play was a Bryce Harper triple that took 15 seconds. It is no wonder the triple is known as baseball's most exciting play (15 uninterrupted seconds of nonstop excitement!). 
 
 What's the bottom line? When we compare total action to total down time—even including debatable action such as pitches, trots and pickoff throws—total action time is 17:58. The average game time was 2 hours and 58 seconds, so the action portion of a typical game is 10%. That leaves 90% of the game as down time. Individually, the Twins-Tigers game percentage was 9 minutes of action vs. 91 minutes of inaction; the slugfest game percentage was 11 vs. 89 (spendthrifts dig the long ball) and the pitchers' duel was 9 vs. 91. 
 
 Baseball has always been known as the thinking man's game and perhaps that is because everyone has so much time to think, particularly in between batters, innings and pitches. As we enter All-Star week next week, plenty of folks still think baseball trumps all other sports, even those in which players are in constant motion. Quality still beats quantity—at least 10% of the time. 
 
 —Mike Sielski contributed to this article. 
 
 Corrections & Amplifications 
 
 Each team in a major-league baseball game throws about 150 pitches. An earlier version of this article incorrectly gave 150 as the total number of pitches in a game. 
 
 A version of this article appeared July 13, 2013, on page D1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Play Ball...Please!.
– Those who complain baseball is too slow may be heartened to hear a quicker pace is on its way. Based on a Tuesday evening tweet from ESPN's Howard Bryant, Sports Illustrated reports that, starting with the 2017 season, MLB pitchers will no longer have to waste time lobbing four pitches at batters they plan to intentionally walk. Instead, teams can now simply signal the ump that a walk is in the works, and the runner can immediately saunter over to first. This change could shave 14.3 seconds off of each game, per estimates by the Wall Street Journal. The Washington Post notes "not everyone is thrilled" with the change, including those who enjoy watching what happens when intentional-walk pitches go wild or batters go for them anyway. Others wonder if the time savings is worth the effort, with one commenter noting: "Is the automatic IBB really gonna fix pace of play?" (Start reading about baseball's "most interesting pitcher" with all that time you just gained.)