inning

 

  • [2] A full baseball game is typically scheduled for nine innings, while softball games consist of seven innings, although this may be shortened due to weather or extended
    if the score is tied at the end of the scheduled innings.

  • [5] Little League games are scheduled for six innings and may be shortened further (auto-forfeit) if a team has an overwhelming scoring lead.

  • [10] College games may be shortened to seven innings if one team’s score is ahead by a minimum of ten runs, or as part of a doubleheader.

  • This is commonly referred to as a “walk-off” situation since the last play results in the teams walking off the field because the game is over.

  • The game may have to be replayed in its entirety at a later date, but under certain circumstances, a game shortened because of rain can count as an official game, and the
    team that was ahead at the time the game was called will be awarded the win.

  • In most leagues, if the score is tied after the final scheduled inning, the game goes into extra innings until an inning ends with one team ahead of the other.

  • If the home team is leading after the top half of the final scheduled inning, or scores to take the lead in the bottom of the final scheduled inning, the game immediately
    ends in a home victory.

  • As in the case of the ninth inning, a home team which scores to take a lead in any extra inning automatically wins, and the inning (and the game) is considered complete at
    that moment regardless of the number of outs.

  • A full inning consists of six outs, three for each team, and, in Major League Baseball and most other adult leagues, a regulation game consists of nine innings.

  • However, road teams cannot earn a “walk-off” victory by scoring the go-ahead run in extra innings, unlike in ice hockey where the team (either home or away) scoring first
    in overtime automatically wins.

 

Works Cited

[‘Dickson, Paul (2009). The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. W. W. Norton & Company.
2. ^ “Rule 4.01 to 4.02; 4.00—Starting and Ending a Game” (PDF). Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
3. ^ Baseball Explained by Phillip Mahony, McFarland
Books, 2014. See www.baseballexplained.com Archived 2014-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ MLB Official Rules (PDF). Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. 2017. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-9961140-4-2. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b NCAA
Baseball Rules (PDF). NCAA: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2015–2016. p. 36. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
6. ^ World Baseball Softball Confederation (2017). “1.2.1 Regulation Game”. 2018 – 2021 FAST PITCH SOFTBALL PLAYING RULES (PDF).
p. 4. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
7. ^ NCAA Softball Rules. Indianapolis, Indiana: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2016–2017. p. 18.
8. ^ “NFHS Baseball Rules Book” (PDF). 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
9. ^ “Minor Leagues On-the-Field”.
Minor League Baseball.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
10. ^ “MLB Finalizes Rule Changes for 2022 Regular Season & Beyond”. SI.com. Sports Illustrated. March 24, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022. MLB will be going back to full nine-inning doubleheaders
– unlike the seven innings format the league employed during the 2020 season.
11. ^ “Official Rules of Little League-Level Baseball”. Baseball Rules Academy. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikontino/13562271714/’]