Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds Cruise Through Fastest MLB Game in 14 Years

It didn't take very long for the Chicago Cubs to add another tally to their win column on Friday.

The Cubs were playing host to the Cincinnati Reds, their division rival that had also been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Still, the two sides went all out, cruising through their series opener thanks to some dominant pitching.

Jameson Taillon took the mound for Chicago, allowing just four hits and two walks in 7.0 scoreless innings. His counterpart was Nick Martinez, who gave up five hits and one run across 8.0 innings of work.

The only run Chicago scored came on a sacrifice fly by catcher Miguel Amaya in the bottom of the fifth.

The Cubs had two relievers clean up after Taillon, with Tyson Miller and Porter Hodge combining to throw just 18 pitches in the eighth and ninth innings. Miller's hold and Hodge's save got Chicago the 1-0 win, guaranteeing that the club would finish 2024 above .500.

In total, the matinee showdown took just one hour and 48 minutes to complete.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Friday's matchup between the Cubs and Reds was the shortest nine-inning game across all of MLB since Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga came one out away from a perfect game on June 2, 2010. That contest took one hour and 44 minutes from start to finish.

The last time the Cubs played a full game so short also came against the Reds – also at Wrigley Field – on May 24, 2001.

Cubs-Reds took an hour and 48 minutes. That is the fastest 9-inning game since Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game on June 2, 2010 (1 hour, 44 minutes)

It’s the Cubs’ fastest 9-inning game since May 24, 2001, also at Wrigley, also against the Reds, also an hour and 48 minutes
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 27, 2024

Much has been made of the impact of recent rule changes on the pace of play in MLB. The league even shared a stat earlier on Friday that showed just how drastically three-hour, 30-minute games had declined after the introduction of the pitch clock, universal designated hitter, pickoff limits and defensive shift restrictions.

But when it comes to wrapping up games as quickly as the Cubs and Reds did on Friday, that can mostly be attributed to great pitching. Cincinnati didn't need to bring in a single reliever, while both of Chicago's pitching changes happened between innings.

The Cubs and Reds will face off again at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, then close out the regular season with a 3:20 p.m. game on Sunday.

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