Phillies’ Matt Strahm resists extending beer sales, citing the dangers of drunk driving

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm believes MLB teams are making a mistake by extending beer sales to counter the shortest duration of games due to the stadium temporary institution.

according to ESPNAnd the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers will now sell beer until the end of the eighth inning instead of the end of the seventh, and more teams can follow suit.

That’s because games are 30 minutes shorter so far this season than last thanks to MLB’s new pace of play rules.

while appearing on Baseball is not boring On this week’s podcast, Strahm spoke out against some teams changing their policy on selling beer due to the potential risks it would pose to fans:

The reason we stopped [selling alcohol in] The seventh before that was to give our fans enough time to sober up and go home safely, right? Now with a faster-paced game—and I’m just a guy with common sense—if the game’s going to be over faster, aren’t we bringing beer sales back into the sixth inning to give our fans enough time to get up and drive home?”

Strahm added, “Instead, we’re going to eight, and now you’re putting our fans and our family in danger driving home with people who just drank beer 22 minutes ago.”

According to ESPN, MLB is allowing its teams to dictate the rules for selling beer individually rather than putting any blanket regulations in place. Most teams previously stopped serving after the seventh inning.

Strahm suggested that some teams extending beer sales is a case of “billionaires” trying to “find a way to get their dollars back,” before adding:

“Nobody wants to admit they are wrong, and I think that in itself is a problem for our society. But it is what it is. We have to deal with what we’ve been given.

“But just using common sense: We stopped her in the seventh for the safety of the fans and the people going home. Like, it doesn’t make sense to me that you would let her in the eighth.”

MLB’s new rules, including the pitch clock, have been widely praised this season for bringing about faster and more exciting games, but less time to sell beers and other perks is something MLB teams have to reckon with.

While some teams are trying to make up for lost sales by expanding beer sales, most teams have yet to make any such changes.