Suspended or completed game?

[Guest car975]

• In a 7 inning Babe Ruth game, the game is halted in the bottom of the 7th due to lightning, with the visiting team up 5-0.  No runs were scored in the top of the 7th by the visiting team (at the conclusion of 6 compete innings the score was 5-0).  The score was 3-0 at the conclusion of 5 complete, and 5-0 at the conclusion of 6 complete.

  I maintain that the game is an official game, because it went at least 5 complete innings, to make it a regulation game. 

  The league president cited Rule 4.12 (5), which states -
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  4.12 SUSPENDED GAMES.

  (a) A league shall adopt the following rules providing for completion at a future date of games terminated for any of the following reasons:
  (1) A curfew imposed by law;
  (2) A time limit permissible under league rules;
  (3) Light failure or malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club. (Mechanical field device shall include automatic tarpaulin or water removal equipment).
  (4) Darkness, when a law prevents the lights from being turned on.
  (5) Weather, if the game is called while an inning is in progress and before it is completed, and one of the following situations prevails:
  (i) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to tie the score, and the home team has not scored.
  (ii) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not tied the score or retaken the lead.
  (b) Such games shall be known as suspended games. No game called because of a curfew, weather, or a time limit shall be a suspended game unless it has progressed far enough to have been a regulation game under the provisions of Rule 4.10. A game called under the provisions of 4.12(a), (3) or (4) shall be a suspended game at any time after it starts.
  ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
   

  I maintain that since the visiting team did not score in the top of the 7th inning to tie the score or take the lead, that the game is official, and the visiting team wins.

  Looking forward to your comments.

[noumpere 2,935]

If the league follows that rule, then you are correct -- the game is official and the visiting team wins.

 

Some leagues have different procedures on these issues.

 

(And, note that the rule has changed from what you posted)

[Guest car975]

2 hours ago, noumpere said:

If the league follows that rule, then you are correct -- the game is official and the visiting team wins.

 

Some leagues have different procedures on these issues.

 

(And, note that the rule has changed from what you posted)

Ok, thanks - what's changed from what I posted (so I can have current information)?  Do you have a link to the current rule (with changes)?

[noumpere 2,935]

3 minutes ago, Guest car975 said:

Ok, thanks - what's changed from what I posted (so I can have current information)?  Do you have a link to the current rule (with changes)?

Google "official baseball rules" and get the 2016 set -- at least the rule number has changed, and I think this rule has been reformatted.

[LRZ 249]

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2016/official_baseball_rules.pdf

[Guest Car975]

One more question - I have a clarification.

Visiting team was up 2-0 at the end of 4 complete, 3-0 at the end of 6 complete.

Visitors scored 2 in the top of the 7th, but they did not score to take the lead (they had the lead going into the top of the 7th).

Is it a suspended or completed game?

[Rich Ives 1,074]

23 minutes ago, Guest Car975 said:

One more question - I have a clarification.

Visiting team was up 2-0 at the end of 4 complete, 3-0 at the end of 6 complete.

Visitors scored 2 in the top of the 7th, but they did not score to take the lead (they had the lead going into the top of the 7th).

Is it a suspended or completed game?

Complete UNLESS they scored to tie or take the lead in the top of the incomplete inning. They did neither. Thus . . . .

[Guest Car975]

I was just made aware of a rule that says -

"Playoffs. There are no time limits and the game shall continue until there is a winner.  No tiebreakers."

Does this change any of the above answers?  I say no, because 1.  There was no tie, and 2.  There was a winner once the game was official - but I'm open to hearing what those that are more qualified think.

[noumpere 2,935]

It's going to depend on what the league means by that phrase.  Some might mean it as "the game must go at least 7 innings (or until a team has a 10-run lead after 5 innings)"  (that's the equivalent of the NCAA Halted Game rule and what OBR uses in the playoffs).  Some might mean it as you read it -- the "time limit" rule is abolished, but the rest of the game ending procedures remain in place.

[Guest car975]

That's a great point, noumpere. 

It just seems to me that it can't be cut both ways.  In our playoffs, we can win by run rule.  In that case the game doesn't go 7 innings, but it is still an official game, does that make sense?

 

[noumpere 2,935]

19 minutes ago, Guest car975 said:

That's a great point, noumpere. 

It just seems to me that it can't be cut both ways.  In our playoffs, we can win by run rule.  In that case the game doesn't go 7 innings, but it is still an official game, does that make sense?

 

Yes, it makes sense -- and that's the same as the NCAA halted game rule.  It can end by 9 innings being completed or by a 10-run rule.  It can't end because of darkness or curfew or time limit or weather or ...   (all those latter things are reasons to end a game if the halted game rule is NOT in effect -- as in your regular season).

[Kevin_K 739]

FWIW.... I don't have any care about whether or not its a suspended game, a complete game, a board game, or a game of chance.

My concern is that I get paid for the game. Or its completion. Or, perhaps, both!