Average time of 9-inning game up 5 minutes to 3:05

NEW YORK (AP) — The average time of a nine-inning game in the major leagues increased 5 minutes to 3:05 during the first two weeks of the season.

The figure, calculated by Major League Baseball on Monday, included 171 nine-inning games and was matched to a comparable period at the start of last year.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred proposed speedup initiatives, such as a pitch clock and limits on trips to the pitcher’s mound, but the players’ association did not agree to them. Management kept its proposals alive and can unilaterally change those rules for the 2018 season.

Last year’s average for nine-inning games ended at exactly 3 hours, a 4-minute increase over 2015.