Official game (baseball)
In baseball, an official game (regulation game in the Major League Baseball rulebook) is a game where nine innings have been played, except when the game is scheduled with fewer innings, extra innings are required to determine a winner, or the game must be stopped before nine innings have been played, e.g. due to inclement weather. The term "official game" is mainly used in the context of a game that is stopped before nine innings have been played, though it has been used for other promotional purposes.
A game that is stopped ("called" in the MLB rulebook) by the umpires before the regulation number of innings have been played may be considered an official game if five innings have been played (4+1⁄2 innings if the home team is in the lead), unless the game meets one of the conditions for a suspended game. An official game that is stopped in this way is ended at the point of stoppage and statistics are added to each team's totals, while a suspended game is resumed from the point of stoppage at a later time. A game that is stopped before five innings have been played is considered "no game" unless it can be considered a suspended game; statistics accumulated before the stoppage are not counted and replay of the game is subject to the league rules.
Inclement weather
In the case of inclement weather, any game which has reached this point may be stopped and shortened as needed, with the result being final, and all records and statistics counted. A game which has not reached this point before being stopped is either considered a suspended game (to be continued at a later date from the point of stoppage), or is simply canceled and replayed from the start. (This depends on the rules of each individual league.) In either case, no statistics are counted until the game becomes official.
Since most professional baseball games are nine innings long, the fifth inning is used as the threshold for an official game. If the visiting team is leading, or the game is tied, the end of the fifth inning marks this point. If the home team (which bats last) is already ahead in the score, and theoretically would not need its half of the fifth inning, then 4½ innings (i.e., the middle of the fifth) is considered an official game. The game is also considered official if the home team scores to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, since the game would end immediately if the same thing happened in the ninth. Games that are stopped due to power outages are treated as suspended and cannot be declared official.
In the Major League Baseball postseason (since 2009), all tiebreaker games that are added to the end of the regular season (since 2009), and in the regular season (since 2020), this rule does not apply; all games stopped at any time for weather or power outages are considered suspended and continued from the point of stoppage when play resumes, no matter if the game has reached the end of the fifth inning.[1] This rule was put into place as a result of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, which was the first postseason game in history to be suspended and resumed from the point of suspension. Prior to the 2009 postseason, a playoff game had to have at least five innings completed in order to be suspendable; a playoff game stopped prior to that point had to be started over.
Rain check
In nearly all cases, the "official game" status is used to determine whether a
Effects on statistical streaks
The "official game" statistic received some attention during the 1995 season, when
Other sports
Other professional sports utilize similar rules regarding "official" games/events.
Most codes of motorsport declare a race "official" with an official result if just three laps are completed, though only half the normal championship points are awarded if less than 75% of the race distance (rounded up to the nearest whole lap) is completed. If more than 75% of the race is completed, full points are awarded.
The major exception applies in the United States, mainly in
In
In boxing, a fight can be declared official for purposes of scoring in case of accidental head butts. That is typically the end of the second round, fourth round, or halfway. Fights that do not reach official status are no contest.
References
- ^ "Official Rules: 4.00 Starting and Ending a Game". Major League Baseball. pp. Rule 4.12. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
External links
- Major League Baseball Official Rules, 2019 Edition – Rule 7.01 defines "regulation game"