Types of Extra Inning Rules You've Seen...

[johnnyg08]

What extra inning rules have you seen in games that you've worked?

I'll start: 

1. Old school extra innings. Play until you have a winner

2. Current MLB/OBR regular season. Last out of previous inning at 2B, 0 out. 

3. Shootout mode: R1, R2, 0 out. Batter starts the inning with a 2-2 count. 

What other ones are out there? Try to include a fair amount of detail. 

 

[Velho]

2a. Modified MLB/OBR: Runner on 2B is batter before current batter. Manager gets to pick current batter.

4. Escalating 2a: 2a for first extra inning, R2 & R1 next inning, R3 & R2 & R1 inning after that (all no outs, manager choice of current batter)

(seen from my travel ball parenting days)

[BLWizzRanger]

56 minutes ago, Velho said:

2a. Modified MLB/OBR: Runner on 2B is batter before current batter. Manager gets to pick current batter.

4. Escalating 2a: 2a for first extra inning, R2 & R1 next inning, R3 & R2 & R1 inning after that (all no outs, manager choice of current batter)

(seen from my travel ball parenting days)

Heaven help them if they had to figure out the seedings with a tie involved.  But, I guess, knowing the winner only made the plastic gumball machine ring more special!

[Velho]

2 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

Heaven help them if they had to figure out the seedings with a tie involved.  But, I guess, knowing the winner only made the plastic gumball machine ring more special!

Tangent: The most shocking time management policy I saw in my travel years was a drop dead policy*. Well named: home was down 2, bottom of 7 2outs, one run scores as batted ball is in OF, BR rounding bases. Alarm goes off mid play. "Game Over". Home loses. Like a hockey clock expiring.

* that no one knew about though I'm sure coaches were informed

[orangebird]

Had this the one weekend I did summer travel

[Velho]

2 minutes ago, orangebird said:

Had this the one weekend I did summer travel

what ages?

[orangebird]

5 minutes ago, Velho said:

what ages?

13/14/15

https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/m1.pb365/play.xposuresports.com/ad555abf-bf8c-4a5b-b051-bef764f927fd/files/docs/documents/director/2025 BATTLE FOR BALTIMORE TOURNAMENT RULES-6837db243ddc0.pdf

[johnnyg08]

This is great! Keep 'em coming! 

[JSam21]

There was a "sudden death" type of extra inning in the Frontier League. The 10th inning was regular international tie breaker, the 11th, they would have a plate meeting, home team would get to pick either offense or defense. They would then start with a runner at 1st, and it was either get 3 outs or score the run, who ever did what first wins.

[BLarson]

For friendly non-tournament games, we can end in ties.

For tournaments, typically all POOL games can end in a tie.

For tournament BRACKET games, we typically have one of these (since there must be a winner)...up to each individual tournament.

• Runners on 2nd/3rd with 1 out
• Runners on 2nd with 1 out

[orangebird]

I've always wanted to see some sort of reduced fielders rule as a silly way to try to increase scoring in extras, the strategy of where to put 8 fielders in the 10th, 7 in the 11th, etc would be fun to observe

[Velho]

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

I've always wanted to see some sort of reduced fielders rule as a silly way to try to increase scoring in extras, the strategy of where to put 8 fielders in the 10th, 7 in the 11th, etc would be fun to observe

like NHL 4x4 (?) OT. Do they still do that?

[johnnyg08]

4 hours ago, JSam21 said:

There was a "sudden death" type of extra inning in the Frontier League. The 10th inning was regular international tie breaker, the 11th, they would have a plate meeting, home team would get to pick either offense or defense. They would then start with a runner at 1st, and it was either get 3 outs or score the run, who ever did what first wins.

That's sweet. Any idea how it was received? 

[stevis]

2 hours ago, Velho said:

like NHL 4x4 (?) OT. Do they still do that?

Even better, 3-on-3

[JSam21]

11 hours ago, johnnyg08 said:

That's sweet. Any idea how it was received? 

Honestly, no clue. I'm going to guess well, since they started it in the 2022 season and are still using it. 

[johnnyg08]

22 hours ago, JSam21 said:

Honestly, no clue. I'm going to guess well, since they started it in the 2022 season and are still using it. 

That makes sense. Thanks. 

[The Man in Blue]

On 11/4/2025 at 11:14 AM, Velho said:

Tangent: The most shocking time management policy I saw in my travel years was a drop dead policy*. Well named: home was down 2, bottom of 7 2outs, one run scores as batted ball is in OF, BR rounding bases. Alarm goes off mid play. "Game Over". Home loses. Like a hockey clock expiring.

* that no one knew about though I'm sure coaches were informed

 

I would argue this is not the most shocking, but the most sensible if you are going to place a time limit on games.  That is a very unpopular opinion that I hold.  (Though stopping mid-play is a bit shocking.)

[The Man in Blue]

On 11/4/2025 at 4:15 PM, orangebird said:

I've always wanted to see some sort of reduced fielders rule as a silly way to try to increase scoring in extras, the strategy of where to put 8 fielders in the 10th, 7 in the 11th, etc would be fun to observe

I have never heard this idea . . . and I LOVE it.

It makes much more sense than adding runners on bases and taking away outs.  My personal belief on "offense based" tie-breaker schemes is that we waste more time trying to get them set up and trying to put runners in scoring position (when both teams keep scoring from it) than we save.

Each progressive inning, the defense gets one less fielder.  Coach can pick whichever one he wants, doesn't matter who, as long as the number is reduced each inning.  The player stays in on offense and the batting lineup doesn't change.  This seems far more effective in reaching the goal (ending the game) quicker.  It also puts more pressure on the coach to make good coaching decisions.

 

[johnnyg08]

On 11/4/2025 at 8:11 AM, Velho said:

2a. Modified MLB/OBR: Runner on 2B is batter before current batter. Manager gets to pick current batter.

4. Escalating 2a: 2a for first extra inning, R2 & R1 next inning, R3 & R2 & R1 inning after that (all no outs, manager choice of current batter)

(seen from my travel ball parenting days)

When you say manager pick, is it the offensive manager? 

[johnnyg08]

On 11/4/2025 at 2:45 PM, JSam21 said:

There was a "sudden death" type of extra inning in the Frontier League. The 10th inning was regular international tie breaker, the 11th, they would have a plate meeting, home team would get to pick either offense or defense. They would then start with a runner at 1st, and it was either get 3 outs or score the run, who ever did what first wins.

All jokes aside...who is the runner on 1B? 

[BLWizzRanger]

22 minutes ago, johnnyg08 said:

All jokes aside...who is the runner on 1B? 

Oh come on... you teed it up so nicely....  ok....

I don't know.

[johnnyg08]

I did find this: 

https://ballparkdigest.com/2022/01/24/frontier-league-adds-sudden-death-tiebreaker-to-extra-innings-games-in-2022/

Frontier League adds sudden-death tiebreaker to extra-innings games in 2022

By Ballpark Digest Editors on January 24, 2022 in Independent Baseball, News

It will be a two-part process to decide extra-innings games in 2022 for the Frontier League, beginning with an international tiebreaker and then ending up with a sudden-death tiebreaker.

The exact process: If a game is tied at the end of play (nine innings for a traditional game and seven innings for a doubleheader game), there will be one inning played under International Tiebreaker (ITB) rules. The ITB rules were used by MLB in 2020, where a runner would begin the inning at second base and each side would be given the chance to take the lead.

After the ITB inning, play will shift to a sudden-death tiebreaker. Here’s the description from the MLB Partner League:

Field managers will meet with umpires with the home manager choosing offense or defense. For the team on offense, the player on the lineup card immediately preceding the batter due up will start on first base. The defensive team will have three outs to prevent the offense from scoring. If the team on offense scores they will win the game, while if the defensive team retires the side without scoring a run, they will win. As with the ITB runner, if the runner placed on first base scores, the run will be unearned.

The rule was first proposed by former Florence field manager Dennis Pelfrey, who currently manages in the San Francisco Giants’ organization. It was refined by a committee of Frontier League managers and administrators, including managers Andy McCauley of Evansville, Quebec’s Pat Scalabrini, and Ottawa’s Bobby Brown.

“While sudden death will not happen every game, we believe when it does it will have the fans on their feet,” commented Kevin Winn, Deputy Commissioner for On-Field Operations, via press release. “Created by a former manager, this initiative received overwhelming support of our current field managers and Rules Committee.”

One big advantage for the new rule: The sudden death rule guarantees that no game will be played beyond 10.5 innings or beyond 8.5 innings for a doubleheader game.

There’s been plenty of tinkering with extra-inning rules in 2020 and 2021, ranging from MLB’s embrace of the ITB rules to the MLB Partner League Pioneer League in 2021 scrapping extra innings and instead launched a head-to-head, “sudden death” home-run duel to settle ties, a move league officials described as being popular with fans.