Mercy rule
Encyclopedia
A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule (or, less commonly, knockout rule and skunk rule), brings a sport
s event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team. It is called the mercy rule because it spares the losing team the humiliation of suffering a more formal loss, and denies the winning team the satisfaction thereof, and prevents running up the score
, a generally discouraged practice in which the opponent continues to score beyond the point when the game has become out of hand. The mercy rule is most common in games such as baseball
or softball
, where there is no game clock
and play could theoretically continue forever, although it is also used in sports such as hockey
and American football
. It is very rare in competitive
sports beyond the high school
level.
sports associations, and many college
sports associations have mercy rules for sports including baseball, softball, American football (though not college) and soccer. It is common in video game simulations of sports
because it helps move the game along.
However, mercy rules usually do not take effect until a prescribed point in the game (e.g., the second half of an Association football game). That means one team, particularly if they are decidedly better than a weaker opponent, can still "run up the score" before the rule takes effect. For instance, in American football
, one team could be ahead by 70 points with three minutes left in the first half; in baseball, the better team could have a 20-run lead in the second inning, but the game would continue.
, including Olympic competition and the World Baseball Classic
(WBC), games are currently ended when one team is ahead by 10 runs, once at least seven completed innings are played by the trailing team. In women's competition, the same applies after five innings.
The inaugural WBC
in 2006 followed the IBAF mercy rule, with an additional rule stopping a game after five innings when a team is ahead by at least 15 runs. The mercy rules applied to the round-robin (now double-elimination) matches only, and not to the Semi-Finals or Final.
In Little League Baseball and Softball, rules call for the game to end if the winning team is ahead by 10 runs after four innings (3½ innings if the home team is ahead).
Softball rules are different for fast/modified fast pitch and slow pitch. In ISF
-sanctioned competitions, the run ahead rule (the ISF's terminology) is, for fast or modified fast pitch, 20 runs after three innings, 15 after four, or 7 after 5. In slow pitch, the margin is 20 runs after four innings or 15 after five. The NCAA has also adopted this rule.
In NCAA
and NAIA
college baseball, the game will end if a team is ahead by at least 10 runs after seven innings in a scheduled 9-inning game. Most NCAA conferences only apply the rule on the final day of a series for travel reasons or during conference tournaments in order to allow the next game to start. The rule is not allowed for the NCAA tournament, where all games must be nine innings.
In NCAA softball, the rule is invoked if one team is ahead by at least eight runs after five innings and, unlike with college baseball, applies in the NCAA tournament as well. In American high school softball, most states use a mercy rule of 20 runs ahead in three innings or 10 in five innings. (In either case, if the home team is ahead by the requisite number of runs, the game will end after the top half of the inning.)
Host state high school associations have rules where a baseball game ends after the winning team has built a 10-run lead and at least five innings have been played; some associations further this rule ending a game after four innings if the lead is at least 15 runs. For softball, the rule is 12 after three innings, and 10 after five (although the home team always gets one last at-bat, and the visiting team can score unlimited runs in the top half of the inning).
Due to the untimed nature of innings, some leagues impose caps on the number of runs that can be scored in one inning, usually in the 4-8 range. This ensures that games will complete in a reasonable length of time, but it can also mean that a lead of a certain size becomes insurmountable due to the cap.
, the clock does not stop on a score), penalties, injuries, timeouts, and change of possession (the clock restarts on the ready-for-play whistle instead of the snap for possession changes; the clock does not stop for change of possession in Georgia
). Incomplete passes and going out of bounds do not stop the clock. In some states, once the point differential is reduced to below the mercy rule invoking amount, normal timing procedures will resume until end of the game or until the point differential requires the mercy rule to be reenforced. In addition, many states do not allow the use of the mercy rule in the championship game. Another variant some states use with the "continuous clock" rule allows coaches and game officials to choose to end a game at their own discretion any time during the second half, especially if a lopsided margin continues to increase or threatening weather strikes.
In some states (where 8-man and 6-man football is widely used), the rules for 8-man and 6-man football call for a game to end when one team is ahead by a certain score (e.g., 45 or 50 points) at half time or any time thereafter. http://www.nfhs.org/core/contentmanager/uploads/2007MERCYRULE.pdf
In Madden Football (video game) when one team is ahead by 21 or more points at halftime or at any point thereafter, the team in the lead can offer mercy to the other team. If accepted, the game ends instantly and the players are credited with a win and loss, respectively. If the losing team declines, then play continues and mercy is no longer allowed to be offered. Also, the trailing team can concede defeat under the same scores as the opponent can offer mercy with the same outcomes applying.
Cited examples:
While a boxer who loses on the mercy rule is scored RSCOS, and would be similar to a technical knockout in professional boxing, it is not scored a loss by knockout, and the 28-day suspension for losing on a knockout does not apply.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team. It is called the mercy rule because it spares the losing team the humiliation of suffering a more formal loss, and denies the winning team the satisfaction thereof, and prevents running up the score
Running up the score
In North American sports, "running up the score" occurs when a team continues to play in such a way as to score additional points after the outcome of the game is no longer in question and the team is assured of winning...
, a generally discouraged practice in which the opponent continues to score beyond the point when the game has become out of hand. The mercy rule is most common in games such as baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
or softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, where there is no game clock
Game clock
A game clock consists of two adjacent clocks and buttons to stop one clock while starting the other, such that the two component clocks never run simultaneously. Game clocks are used in two-player games where the players move in turn...
and play could theoretically continue forever, although it is also used in sports such as hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
and American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. It is very rare in competitive
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
sports beyond the high school
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
level.
Usage details
The rules vary widely, depending on the level of competition, but nearly all youth leagues and high schoolSecondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
sports associations, and many college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
sports associations have mercy rules for sports including baseball, softball, American football (though not college) and soccer. It is common in video game simulations of sports
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
because it helps move the game along.
However, mercy rules usually do not take effect until a prescribed point in the game (e.g., the second half of an Association football game). That means one team, particularly if they are decidedly better than a weaker opponent, can still "run up the score" before the rule takes effect. For instance, in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, one team could be ahead by 70 points with three minutes left in the first half; in baseball, the better team could have a 20-run lead in the second inning, but the game would continue.
Baseball and softball
In international baseball competitions sanctioned by the IBAFInternational Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...
, including Olympic competition and the World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
(WBC), games are currently ended when one team is ahead by 10 runs, once at least seven completed innings are played by the trailing team. In women's competition, the same applies after five innings.
The inaugural WBC
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
in 2006 followed the IBAF mercy rule, with an additional rule stopping a game after five innings when a team is ahead by at least 15 runs. The mercy rules applied to the round-robin (now double-elimination) matches only, and not to the Semi-Finals or Final.
In Little League Baseball and Softball, rules call for the game to end if the winning team is ahead by 10 runs after four innings (3½ innings if the home team is ahead).
Softball rules are different for fast/modified fast pitch and slow pitch. In ISF
International Softball Federation
thumb|Map of member states.|400px|rightThe International Softball Federation is the international governing body for the sport of softball. The ISF is a non-profit corporation recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the General Association of International Sports Federations .The...
-sanctioned competitions, the run ahead rule (the ISF's terminology) is, for fast or modified fast pitch, 20 runs after three innings, 15 after four, or 7 after 5. In slow pitch, the margin is 20 runs after four innings or 15 after five. The NCAA has also adopted this rule.
In NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
and NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
college baseball, the game will end if a team is ahead by at least 10 runs after seven innings in a scheduled 9-inning game. Most NCAA conferences only apply the rule on the final day of a series for travel reasons or during conference tournaments in order to allow the next game to start. The rule is not allowed for the NCAA tournament, where all games must be nine innings.
In NCAA softball, the rule is invoked if one team is ahead by at least eight runs after five innings and, unlike with college baseball, applies in the NCAA tournament as well. In American high school softball, most states use a mercy rule of 20 runs ahead in three innings or 10 in five innings. (In either case, if the home team is ahead by the requisite number of runs, the game will end after the top half of the inning.)
Host state high school associations have rules where a baseball game ends after the winning team has built a 10-run lead and at least five innings have been played; some associations further this rule ending a game after four innings if the lead is at least 15 runs. For softball, the rule is 12 after three innings, and 10 after five (although the home team always gets one last at-bat, and the visiting team can score unlimited runs in the top half of the inning).
Due to the untimed nature of innings, some leagues impose caps on the number of runs that can be scored in one inning, usually in the 4-8 range. This ensures that games will complete in a reasonable length of time, but it can also mean that a lead of a certain size becomes insurmountable due to the cap.
Association football (soccer)
In United states high school soccer, most states use a mercy rule that ends the game whenever one team is ahead by 10 or more goals at any point from halftime onward. Youth soccer leagues use variations on this rule. This rule however is seen as even more demeaning than losing formally, as 1) It denies the winning and superior team the satisfaction of beating the other team, as they did, and 2) because it implies that the other team needs a handicap, and the team should at least be given the chance to lose honorably and go out fighting.American football
At the middle or high school level, 34 states use a mercy rule that may involve a "continuous clock" – that is, the clock continues to operate on most plays when the clock would normally stop, such as an incomplete pass – once a team has a certain lead (e.g., 35 points) during the second half. Under the rules, the clock only stops for scores (in Colorado and KansasKansas State High School Activities Association
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.The KSHSAA was...
, the clock does not stop on a score), penalties, injuries, timeouts, and change of possession (the clock restarts on the ready-for-play whistle instead of the snap for possession changes; the clock does not stop for change of possession in Georgia
Georgia High School Association
The Georgia High School Association governs athletic and club events for member high schools in Georgia, USA. The GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association comprises 437 public and private high schools...
). Incomplete passes and going out of bounds do not stop the clock. In some states, once the point differential is reduced to below the mercy rule invoking amount, normal timing procedures will resume until end of the game or until the point differential requires the mercy rule to be reenforced. In addition, many states do not allow the use of the mercy rule in the championship game. Another variant some states use with the "continuous clock" rule allows coaches and game officials to choose to end a game at their own discretion any time during the second half, especially if a lopsided margin continues to increase or threatening weather strikes.
In some states (where 8-man and 6-man football is widely used), the rules for 8-man and 6-man football call for a game to end when one team is ahead by a certain score (e.g., 45 or 50 points) at half time or any time thereafter. http://www.nfhs.org/core/contentmanager/uploads/2007MERCYRULE.pdf
In Madden Football (video game) when one team is ahead by 21 or more points at halftime or at any point thereafter, the team in the lead can offer mercy to the other team. If accepted, the game ends instantly and the players are credited with a win and loss, respectively. If the losing team declines, then play continues and mercy is no longer allowed to be offered. Also, the trailing team can concede defeat under the same scores as the opponent can offer mercy with the same outcomes applying.
Rugby
A typical mercy rule used in amateur rugby matches means that the game is stopped if one team leads by a set number of points (usually 50, though each league has its own rules). The rule might be applied immediately, or at the end of the first half.Cited examples:
- From sportingpulse.com: "The North Sydney Junior League has extended the mercy rule to include our competitive grades U/9 to U/12's. The game will stop once a differential of 50 points is reached in these grades commencing on Saturday 7th May 2005." http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=7-1125-0-0-0
- From gmaa.ca: "Mercy Rule - if there is a 30 pt. difference in a game, the mercy rule will be enforced and the score for that game shall read 30-0." http://www.gmaa.ca/handbook/sec_rug__rules.html
Amateur boxing
If a boxer trails by more than 20 points, the referee stops the fight and the boxer that is leading automatically wins; bouts which end this way may be noted as "RSC" (referee stopped contest) with notations for an outclassed opponent (RSCO), outscored opponent (RSCOS), injury (RSCI) or head injury (RSCH).While a boxer who loses on the mercy rule is scored RSCOS, and would be similar to a technical knockout in professional boxing, it is not scored a loss by knockout, and the 28-day suspension for losing on a knockout does not apply.