World Series extra innings rules

If a World Series game goes to extra innings, what are the rules? Well, as it turns out, it’s a lot simpler than in the regular season. World Series extra innings rules.

Per MLB rules, in the regular season when a game goes into extra innings, a ghost runner is placed at second base. This way, the pace of play is increased and the length of games is thus decreased. Think of it like the shootout in hockey.

While that ghost runner rule hasn’t been met kindly thus far, it’ll take some getting used to for baseball fans. Eventually, it’ll be second nature to a younger generation of fans.

World Series extra innings rules

So, do the extra inning rules change in the World Series, as compared to the rest of the postseason and the regular season? Let’s take a look.

Per MLB rules, here is how the extra innings rule is employed during the regular season:

“In an effort to preserve player health and safety during the condensed schedule, the rule that each extra inning begins with a runner on second base has been restored for the 2022 season, continuing what was in place for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.”

In the postseason, however, that is not the case. There is no ghost runner, and thus runs must be earned the hard way.