What happens if a game ends in a tie in the World Series?
The 2023 World Series is now in full swing and though it’s not common, the possibility of a tied game does exist. So, what happens when one does?
What’s better than nine innings of baseball? Extra innings of baseball. Indeed, with a set of rules to ensure both excitement and the integrity of the game, MLB has an interesting way of managing games that are tied after nine innings of play.
How are tied games handled in MLB?
Now, as you probably know, an MLB game whether during the regular season or the playoffs, ends when the team that is trailing has seen 27 outs (nine innings). It’s important to note that if the home team is leading after the visiting team has made three outs in the top of the ninth inning, then the home team wins and does not need to come to bat. Also worth noting is that MLB games only become ‘official’ after they reach the bottom half of the fifth inning. Should the game be canceled for whatever reason before that point, it will resume the next day, or at a time that is agreed upon by the teams and the league.
Assuming the game goes the distance and both teams have seen 27 outs, the game continues until the home team takes the lead at any point, or the visiting team takes the lead and successfully forces three outs from the home team without losing the lead or allowing a tied game once more.
Are ties common in MLB?
Quite frankly, no. The last time an MLB game ended in a tie was back in 2016 when the Pirates and Cubs had to abandon their contest after severe weather conditions hindered play. Indeed, we have to go back quite a few decades to a time before stadiums were equipped with lights to find an era when ties were common. In those days, games were played until it was too dark to see, and as you can imagine, that led to many tied games. Sometimes those games were resumed on the following day, while on other occasions they were simply deemed a tie.
So, what about tied games in the World Series?
Whether in the playoff run up to it, or in the World Series itself, there are no tied games. All games are played until a winner is determined. Yes, there have been times when games were either postponed or delayed due to weather or some other inconvenience, however, they either resumed at a later time or day and were played until a winner emerged.