GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Roll out the barrel!
Some Major League Baseball teams, including the Brewers, have extended alcohol sales through the eighth inning this season because of the new pitch clock.
The Timber Rattlers tried it last year, and now made the move permanent this year.
Thanks to the pitch clock, the action is moving a lot faster at major league baseball games.
But, it also means less time for fans to enjoy an ice cold beer.
“Actually it was kind of a real short notice, we hadn’t planned on it in the off season but since some major league teams are going ahead and doing it and went ahead and did it as well,” said Ryan Grossman, director of food and beverage for the Timber Rattlers.
Teams historically have stopped selling alcohol after the seventh inning.
To combat that time crunch, at least four major league teams now serve alcohol through the eighth inning.
“Our season kicked off Tuesday, April 11,” said Grossman. “People were very receptive to it, were excited that we were going into the eighth inning so we’re glad to be doing it.”
Grossman says the minor league team will be taking part in the extension as well. The minor leagues played with the pitch clock last season.
“It’s been a small sample size so far obviously, but as the season rolls on and we get closer to the summertime, I know the fans are going to appreciate it,” said Grossman.
“We are aware of the increased alcohol consumption on those days that the Timber Rattlers games occur,” said Dylan Davis, Grand Chute Community Resource Officer.
Davis says the main games officers are at are the “Bang for your Buck Nights,” which are the nights they offer beer and hot dogs for lower prices.
“We were made aware of their alcohol sales being extended to the eighth inning and with that, we just obviously talked to them about ensuring that their staff is monitoring people who are intoxicated and not serving to those who are intoxicated,” said Davis.
For the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the extension of beer sales doesn’t change much.
“The numbers of impaired driving crashes aren’t going down, they are going up,” said Erin Payton, Regional Executive Director.
Payton says the goal is keeping drunk people off the roads.
“Anywhere you go, if it’s a baseball game, football game, birthday party, and you know you’re going to be consuming alcohol it’s just really important before you go to have a plan on how you’re going to get home safely,” said Payton.
“We’ll monitor it, if fans don’t behave and they consume too much, we can always go back to the seventh inning, I mean that’s up to us,” said Grossman.
MLB says it does not regulate when teams sell alcohol.
Most franchises have used the seventh inning as a cutoff, at least partly to avoid overserving customers who could then get in their cars and drive home.
