Suspended game
Encyclopedia
A suspended game in Major League Baseball
occurs when a game has to be stopped before it can be completed. When a game is suspended, the remainder of the game is to be completed at a later date.
Major League Baseball
Rule 4.12 describes, in detail, the circumstances under which a game may be suspended. In general, the circumstances are these:
The rule goes on to describe special circumstances in which National Association (Minor League Baseball
) leagues may suspend games.
The rule also goes on to describe when the game can or must be resumed. Typically, it is to be resumed right before the next scheduled single game of the two clubs, or preceding a doubleheader if there are no single games left on the schedule.
Before artificial lighting was available, games that ran out of sunlight or clear skies were simply called, resulting in ties. There were tied games in three different early World Series
(1907, 1912, 1922) as well as some of the 19th Century Series. Called games that ended in ties were simply replayed, if necessary, as with those three World Series games, as well as a regular-season game in 1908
which was declared a tie because the fans had run onto the field toward the exit gates, thinking the Giants had won the game. This was a common practice at game's end at the Polo Grounds
. The game was replayed at the end of the season and became essentially a one-game playoff.
Another famous example would be the 26-inning, 1-1 tie game of May 1, 1920
, between the Brooklyn Robins (a.k.a. Dodgers)
and the Boston Braves
at Braves Field
. Under the current rule, the game would have been resumed the next time the two teams were scheduled to meet. The longest professional baseball game
, a minor league game in Rhode Island, was suspended (on agreement of all parties), rather than ending in a tie, after the 32nd inning. The resumed game, with everyone rested, ended one inning later.
The second-longest games in major league baseball were the 25-inning games of September 11–12, 1974, and May 8–9, 1984. The former game was played continuously, into the early morning hours of the next day, before the St. Louis Cardinals
finally defeated the New York Mets
, 4-3, at Shea Stadium
. The latter game was suspended after 17 innings due to a league-imposed curfew. It was resumed the next day, and Harold Baines
ended it with a homer in the 25th inning, as the Chicago White Sox
defeated the Milwaukee Brewers
at Comiskey Park
. In both cases, by rule, the games are recorded under the date on which they started.
With the advent of lights in the 1930s, the need for suspended games arose, for the sake of fairness and to prevent "shenanigans" on the part of the home team.
The rules were expanded over time, to cover other situations. Wrigley Field
, which did not acquire lights until August 1988, would sometimes see games called due to darkness. The rule was extended to cover darkness, again in the sense of fairness, as the setting sun was equated to "light failure".
The further extension of the rule to suspend rather than call games interrupted by lengthy rain-showers was also done in part to prevent stalling tactics on the part of the team trailing in the game, if any. Suspending the game took away any such incentive.
Thus, suspended games are much more common since the rules were expanded, and tied games have consequently become much less common, at least at the major league level. An anecdotal example for the Minnesota Twins
occurred on Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3, 2004. The Saturday game was suspended due to a time limit required by the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
being a shared facility (there was a University of Minnesota
football game scheduled that night). That is a typical occurrence during the early part of the college football season at the Metrodome, and usually there is enough time for the baseball game to finish and the field to be prepared for the football game. In this case, the game went into extra innings and was suspended, tied. It was finished before the start of the Sunday scheduled game. However, as per the rules, the suspended game was considered to have occurred on Saturday.
A substantial time between the parts of a suspended game can cause various oddities and debates about questions such as the status of a player's streak of some kind (such as consecutive games played or hit safely), or even the date of a player's "debut" in the major leagues. These kinds of questions were not at issue, of course, before the concept of suspending a game. The rules for substitutions in suspended games theoretically contain a loophole that would allow a player to appear on both sides of the box score, if he were traded between teams during the time the game was suspended. This situation could even result in a traded pitcher being credited with both a win and a loss for the game, or with a loss and a save, or with both a save and a blown-save.
A convergence of the Wrigley Field situation and the player-debut situation occurred on the game scheduled for April 20, 1986. The Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Chicago Cubs
were tied at 8 runs apiece after 13 innings when the umpires suspended the game on account of darkness. It was a Sunday game, and the next available slot was August 11. The game went on for four more innings before the Pirates broke through with a pair in the top of the 17th. Barry Bonds
came in as a pinch-hitter in the August 11 portion of the game and stayed in the game as center fielder. Because the game is recorded as April 20, some sources list that date as Bonds' debut. However, Bonds' actual debut with the Pirates was May 30. However, player statistics are still counted as having occurred on the date of the original game. Therefore, Lou Montanez
, who was called up to the majors on August 5, 2008, officially recorded his first career hit on April 28 of that year - albeit in the resumption of a suspended Orioles-White Sox game, which actually finished on August 26. Alberto Castillo
also recorded his first career victory in that game, in spite of not making his MLB debut until July 8. Furthermore, Rocky Cherry
recorded his first career save three and a half months before being called up. In a final unusual moment, Ken Griffey Jr., who singled for the Cincinnati Reds
on April 28, walked for the White Sox in that game, thus officially reaching base for two teams in the same day.
On October 27, 2008, in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series
between the Philadelphia Phillies
and the Tampa Bay Rays
, continuing rain forced the Commissioner's office to suspend the game. The break in the action occurred between the top and bottom of the sixth inning, with the score tied at 2-2. This was the first suspended game in the history of the World Series. There had been three tied games previously: 1907
, 1912
, and 1922
. No ties are possible under the modern rules, which provide for suspension of a tied game and resumption of it at the next possible date.
A unique situation occurred on July 9, 2009, when the Washington Nationals
traveled to Houston to face the Astros
in a game that had been suspended on May 5, in the bottom of the 11th inning, in Washington. Joel Hanrahan
pitched the top of the 11th for Washington, but in the interim had been traded to Pittsburgh for Nyjer Morgan
; he remained the pitcher of record and earned the win when Morgan scored (he pinch-ran for Elijah Dukes
, who was no longer on the Washington roster) on a throwing error by Miguel Tejada
. It was the first walk-off victory for a team in an opposing stadium since 1975.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
occurs when a game has to be stopped before it can be completed. When a game is suspended, the remainder of the game is to be completed at a later date.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Rule 4.12 describes, in detail, the circumstances under which a game may be suspended. In general, the circumstances are these:
- A curfewCurfewA curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
imposed by law - A predetermined time limit
- Artificial light failure or other mechanical problems that impact the game
- Darkness, in certain circumstances
- Weather, in certain circumstances
- A regulation game called with the score tied
The rule goes on to describe special circumstances in which National Association (Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
) leagues may suspend games.
The rule also goes on to describe when the game can or must be resumed. Typically, it is to be resumed right before the next scheduled single game of the two clubs, or preceding a doubleheader if there are no single games left on the schedule.
History and oddities
Originally the ability to start and/or continue a baseball game was determined almost entirely by weather, and in fact the rule states that if there are several factors in play, weather overrides the others.Before artificial lighting was available, games that ran out of sunlight or clear skies were simply called, resulting in ties. There were tied games in three different early World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
(1907, 1912, 1922) as well as some of the 19th Century Series. Called games that ended in ties were simply replayed, if necessary, as with those three World Series games, as well as a regular-season game in 1908
Fred Merkle
Frederick Charles Merkle , also known as "Bonehead" Merkle, was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball...
which was declared a tie because the fans had run onto the field toward the exit gates, thinking the Giants had won the game. This was a common practice at game's end at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. The game was replayed at the end of the season and became essentially a one-game playoff.
Another famous example would be the 26-inning, 1-1 tie game of May 1, 1920
1920 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Cleveland Indians over Brooklyn Robins -MLB statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Negro National League final standings:-East final standings:...
, between the Brooklyn Robins (a.k.a. Dodgers)
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
at Braves Field
Braves Field
Braves Field was a baseball park that formerly stood on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium was home to the Boston Braves National League franchise from 1915–1952, when the team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
. Under the current rule, the game would have been resumed the next time the two teams were scheduled to meet. The longest professional baseball game
Longest professional baseball game
The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, two teams from the Triple-A International League, played the longest game in professional baseball history. It lasted for 33 innings over eight hours and 25 minutes...
, a minor league game in Rhode Island, was suspended (on agreement of all parties), rather than ending in a tie, after the 32nd inning. The resumed game, with everyone rested, ended one inning later.
The second-longest games in major league baseball were the 25-inning games of September 11–12, 1974, and May 8–9, 1984. The former game was played continuously, into the early morning hours of the next day, before the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
finally defeated the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, 4-3, at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
. The latter game was suspended after 17 innings due to a league-imposed curfew. It was resumed the next day, and Harold Baines
Harold Baines
Harold Douglas Baines is a former right fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for five American League teams from 1980 to 2001. He is best known for his three stints with the Chicago White Sox, the team on which he now serves as coach...
ended it with a homer in the 25th inning, as the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
defeated the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
at Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
. In both cases, by rule, the games are recorded under the date on which they started.
With the advent of lights in the 1930s, the need for suspended games arose, for the sake of fairness and to prevent "shenanigans" on the part of the home team.
The rules were expanded over time, to cover other situations. Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, which did not acquire lights until August 1988, would sometimes see games called due to darkness. The rule was extended to cover darkness, again in the sense of fairness, as the setting sun was equated to "light failure".
The further extension of the rule to suspend rather than call games interrupted by lengthy rain-showers was also done in part to prevent stalling tactics on the part of the team trailing in the game, if any. Suspending the game took away any such incentive.
Thus, suspended games are much more common since the rules were expanded, and tied games have consequently become much less common, at least at the major league level. An anecdotal example for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
occurred on Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3, 2004. The Saturday game was suspended due to a time limit required by the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
being a shared facility (there was a University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
football game scheduled that night). That is a typical occurrence during the early part of the college football season at the Metrodome, and usually there is enough time for the baseball game to finish and the field to be prepared for the football game. In this case, the game went into extra innings and was suspended, tied. It was finished before the start of the Sunday scheduled game. However, as per the rules, the suspended game was considered to have occurred on Saturday.
A substantial time between the parts of a suspended game can cause various oddities and debates about questions such as the status of a player's streak of some kind (such as consecutive games played or hit safely), or even the date of a player's "debut" in the major leagues. These kinds of questions were not at issue, of course, before the concept of suspending a game. The rules for substitutions in suspended games theoretically contain a loophole that would allow a player to appear on both sides of the box score, if he were traded between teams during the time the game was suspended. This situation could even result in a traded pitcher being credited with both a win and a loss for the game, or with a loss and a save, or with both a save and a blown-save.
A convergence of the Wrigley Field situation and the player-debut situation occurred on the game scheduled for April 20, 1986. The Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
were tied at 8 runs apiece after 13 innings when the umpires suspended the game on account of darkness. It was a Sunday game, and the next available slot was August 11. The game went on for four more innings before the Pirates broke through with a pair in the top of the 17th. Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
came in as a pinch-hitter in the August 11 portion of the game and stayed in the game as center fielder. Because the game is recorded as April 20, some sources list that date as Bonds' debut. However, Bonds' actual debut with the Pirates was May 30. However, player statistics are still counted as having occurred on the date of the original game. Therefore, Lou Montanez
Lou Montañez
Luis Anibal Montañez is a Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.-Minor leagues:...
, who was called up to the majors on August 5, 2008, officially recorded his first career hit on April 28 of that year - albeit in the resumption of a suspended Orioles-White Sox game, which actually finished on August 26. Alberto Castillo
Alberto Castillo (pitcher)
Alberto Castillo Betancourt is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.- Amateur career :Castillo played for Cuba in the 1993 World Junior Championships in Windsor, Ontario, at which time he defected....
also recorded his first career victory in that game, in spite of not making his MLB debut until July 8. Furthermore, Rocky Cherry
Rocky Cherry
Rocky Ty Cherry is a pitcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent.-Biography:Cherry pitched for the University of Oklahoma from 2000–2002. He was used mostly in relief his first season, but was a full-time starter by the time he finished at school...
recorded his first career save three and a half months before being called up. In a final unusual moment, Ken Griffey Jr., who singled for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
on April 28, walked for the White Sox in that game, thus officially reaching base for two teams in the same day.
On October 27, 2008, in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series
2008 World Series
The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
between the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
, continuing rain forced the Commissioner's office to suspend the game. The break in the action occurred between the top and bottom of the sixth inning, with the score tied at 2-2. This was the first suspended game in the history of the World Series. There had been three tied games previously: 1907
1907 World Series
The 1907 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, with the Cubs winning the Series four games to none for their first championship....
, 1912
1912 World Series
In the 1912 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Giants four games to three .This dramatic series showcased great pitching from Giant Christy Mathewson and from Boston fireballer Smoky Joe Wood. Wood won two of his three starts and pitched in relief in the final game...
, and 1922
1922 World Series
In the 1922 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees in five games...
. No ties are possible under the modern rules, which provide for suspension of a tied game and resumption of it at the next possible date.
A unique situation occurred on July 9, 2009, when the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
traveled to Houston to face the Astros
Astros
Astros in sports may refer to:*The Houston Astros, a Major League Baseball team*Astros , an American football team in Australia*Astros Field, now renamed Minute Maid ParkAstros may also refer to:...
in a game that had been suspended on May 5, in the bottom of the 11th inning, in Washington. Joel Hanrahan
Joel Hanrahan
Joel Ryan Hanrahan , nicknamed The Hammer, is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Los Angeles Dodgers:...
pitched the top of the 11th for Washington, but in the interim had been traded to Pittsburgh for Nyjer Morgan
Nyjer Morgan
Nyjer Jamid Morgan nicknamed Tony Plush is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers....
; he remained the pitcher of record and earned the win when Morgan scored (he pinch-ran for Elijah Dukes
Elijah Dukes
Elijah David Dukes, Jr. is an American professional baseball player. A right-handed outfielder, he currently plays for the Newark Bears.-High school years:...
, who was no longer on the Washington roster) on a throwing error by Miguel Tejada
Miguel Tejada
Miguel Odalis Tejada was a Major League Baseball infielder who has played for the San Francisco Giants, the San Diego Padres, the Houston Astros, the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics...
. It was the first walk-off victory for a team in an opposing stadium since 1975.