Earlier this week I’ve posted articles on MLB’s attempt to have fewer position players pitch in blowouts, the extra-innings placed runner becoming a permanent MLB rule and a proposal to have a mercy rule after seven innings.
The first two of these things are official in Major League Baseball now; the third is just an idea that I have floated.
All of these ideas have one thing in common: They are attempts to shorten the amount of time players, broadcasters, gameday staff and fans spend at the ballpark, or watching games on TV.
The placed runner idea began in MLB in the pandemic season of 2020, in an attempt to reduce the amount of time players spent around each other, to possibly reduce the spread of COVID.
Another thing that was done in 2020 was to shorten games played as part of doubleheaders to seven innings. This continued through 2021, but was dropped when the 2022 season began.
I’m here to argue that if MLB is going to do the other things they’ve already done to pick up the pace of play and shorten games — including the pitch timer, which we went over yesterday — then why won’t they continue the shorter doubleheader games, which accomplish the same thing?
Let’s look at some numbers.
In the last season before the pandemic, 2019, MLB teams played 34 doubleheaders. That’s pretty close to the number for the rest of that decade:
2010: 16
2011: 33
2012: 19
2013: 25
2014: 27
2015: 26
2016: 14
2017: 26
2018: 26
2020 is skipped because of the nature of how games were scheduled and played that year.
In 2021, when the seven-inning doubleheader game rule was still in effect, 58 doubleheaders were played. As was the case in 2020, some of those doubleheaders were played due to COVID postponements. Prior to 2020, weather was the sole reason for postponing a game and creating a doubleheader.
We can’t really count 2022, either, because after the lockout 30 games were rescheduled as part of doubleheaders before the season even began. A total of 39 other doubleheaders were played in 2022, somewhat more than the 2010-19 average of 21.
Long-term, then, I would expect the number of doubleheaders played in a season to be somewhere between 20 and 30, in general.
Thus if the seven-inning rule were put in place for doubleheader games, there would be between about 40 and 60 games per year that ran seven innings, or between 1.6 and 2.4 percent of all games. This is a much smaller number of games affected than by the placed runner rule, because that’s in effect for all extra-inning games, which amount to about nine percent of all games. (Also, it should be noted that in 2021 the Cubs played a doubleheader game that went 10 innings — three longer than scheduled — even with the placed runner used after the seventh.
For those of you who don’t mind these other rule changes — why would you mind somewhat shorter games when there’s already a very long day at the ballpark? I would imagine players would be all right with this sort of change, too.
Regarding advertising that would be “lost” in this case, remember we are talking about probably two percent of all games, and “losing” two innings’ worth of TV ads for those games. That’s 22 percent of two percent, or... four-tenths of one percent. It’s just not a significant number.
The argument I’m making here is this: If MLB has put into place all these other rules to speed up or shorten games, why not this one?
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FAQs
Thankfully, no, MLB does not have the same doubleheader rule in 2023. That rule was altered in 2022, and despite some consideration from the league itself, was not renewed prior to this year either.
When did 7 inning doubleheaders start? ›
Another thing that was done in 2020 was to shorten games played as part of doubleheaders to seven innings. This continued through 2021, but was dropped when the 2022 season began.
Are doubleheaders still 9 innings? ›
MLB doubleheader rules for 2023: Nine innings and 26 players
MLB doubleheader rules once again state that there will be a full nine-inning game. Instead of shortening them to preserve arms and players' fatigue, baseball has reverted back to having teams play two full games in a day if they have to.
What is the 7th inning rule? ›
Run rules can be applied in the seventh inning when one team leads by 10 or more runs. But it's not always applied, like in the College World Series in 2023, when Florida led LSU 15-3 after seven innings. If the games is scheduled for seven innings, the run rule is applied in the fifth.
Is the MLB doubleheader 7 or 9 innings? ›
Why are doubleheaders played for seven innings? --Christine T. According to Rule 4.10 (a) in the Official Rules Book, Minor Leagues have the option to adopt a policy where all doubleheaders consist of two, seven-inning games.
Has there ever been a baseball triple header? ›
Has there ever been a triple header in professional baseball? - Quora. The Pirates and Reds played a triple-header at Forbes Field on October 2nd, 1920. The last game was called on account of darkness after six innings, so they managed to bang out 24 innings of baseball in one day.
Why did the 7th inning stretch start? ›
It was created in 1910 when President William Howard Taft, on a visit to Pittsburgh, went to a baseball game and stood up to stretch in the seventh inning. The crowd, thinking the chief executive was about to leave, stood up out of respect for the office. The term itself can be traced back no further than 1920.
Did MLB change to 7 innings? ›
It's still nine innings and nine lineup spots. The team that scores the most runs in a game will win that game 100% of the time. Guaranteed. But within the sport's standard structure will be a crisper, more engaging, more athletic, more entertaining experience, brought about by a series of rules changes.
What percentage of MLB doubleheaders are split? ›
Which, after all, is what you'd expect. little known fact that 80% of doubleheaders are split."
Is there a 10th inning? ›
Major League Baseball is making it permanent: In all regular-season extra-inning games, a runner will be placed on second base to begin the 10th inning, and in every subsequent extra inning after that, until a winner is determined, according to a source familiar with the situation.
But what is the “ghost runner” in baseball? Sneaked in during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The rule, for those who don't know, places a base runner on second base to start each inning beyond the ninth inning during the regular season.
Why is there a 9th inning? ›
Time Constraints. Another reason for the implementation of nine innings in baseball is related to time constraints. In the early days of the sport, baseball games had no specified duration. They would continue until one team reached a predetermined number of runs, often leading to lengthy and unpredictable matches.
Does the 7th inning stretch exist? ›
In baseball in the United States and Canada, the seventh-inning stretch (also known as the Lucky 7 in Japan) is a long-standing tradition that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of a game. Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around.
Who invented the 7th inning stretch? ›
The American tradition might date to President William Howard Taft in 1910, but it could have started in 1869. The seventh-inning stretch, when fans rise from their seats for a brief break after the top of that inning is complete, is as much a part of Major League Baseball as beer at ballparks and booing umpires.
Will MLB get rid of the extra inning rule? ›
MLB first used the extra-innings tiebreaker rule during the 60-game pandemic season in 2020 as a way to shorten games and reduce injury risk after the unusual spring training shutdown and midsummer build-up period for pitchers. The rule remained on a temporary basis in 2021 and 2022, and now it has been made permanent.
Are minor league double headers 7 innings? ›
A. According to Rule 4.10 (a) in the Official Baseball Rules, Minor Leagues have the option to adopt a policy where all doubleheaders consist of two seven-inning games. It's done to complete the games in a timely manner while offering a good value for fans and accommodating the teams' travel plans.
Is college baseball 7 or 9 innings? ›
The NCAA, which oversees most college sports, has stated that they want college baseball games to have nine innings as often as possible.
Do they play 7 innings in college baseball? ›
Seven-inning games may be played on the final day of a conference series, or if the two teams in a non-conference match will play two games in one day, often to make up a game that could not be played earlier in the year due to inclement weather.
Are college baseball double headers 9 innings? ›
NCAA baseball rules are in effect for all games. With the exception of double headers involving the same two teams, all games will be 9 innings.
