Baseball Rules & Structure

Learn from our comprehensive list of baseball rules and how the game of baseball is structured-from past to present.

How many baseball games are in a season?

The baseball season can be described as a marathon, not a sprint. It’s the all-you-can-eat buffet of sports. Unlike other major sports, the baseball season takes place nearly every day of the week with games taking place under the towering manmade lights that surround the stadiums or the solar system’s biggest light of all, the sun. There are 162 games scheduled during MLB’s regular season beginning in late March or early April and extending through to the last week of September or early October.

Teams play half of those games at their home ballparks and the other half as the visiting team where they get to experience fancy hotels and getting booed for showing up to work. Teams with the best records will advance beyond the 162 scheduled games and have a chance to compete in the playoffs for the championship.

When did MLB increase to 162 games?

The 162-game regular season hasn’t always been around in Major League Baseball. The American League and National League decided to make the change in different years because the two could never agree on things and behaved much more like separate entities.

The American League went from 154 games to 162 beginning in the 1961 season. The timing was important and had a lot to do with the sport expanding. It was also the year when New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record of 60 by hitting 61 of them. For many years, the record had an asterisk next to it because of the increased number of games Maris had. Self-proclaimed purists continued to view Ruth as the single-season champion for many years.

The National League increased its games the following year in 1962. That was the year when they went from 154 to 162. Unfortunately, for the expansion New York Mets, it gave them more opportunities to lose a record 120 games.

Can a MLB team play less than 162 games?

Even though every MLB team begins the season with 162 games on their schedule, it’s very common for at least two or more of those teams to play fewer or even an extra game. Rain is usually to blame.

Baseball games are not always played through poor weather conditions because of the danger they can pose to the athletes, staff, and fans. When a rainout occurs, MLB tries to reschedule doubleheaders or find a common off-day on the schedule. Unfortunately, rainouts in September can sometimes limit opportunities to make up the postponement. For games with no playoff implications, if there isn’t a chance to make it up, teams will never play the game. What happens to the hot dogs that expected to get eaten remains a mystery. The 2021 Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies each played only 161 games because one more wouldn’t have made a difference in the standings. The Rockies probably would have lost.

There are instances when teams will play a 163rd game. In 2018, the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs played each other for the National League Central title. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies did the same for the National League West title. The Rockies did get a chance to play this game and they lost.

Do pitchers play every game?

Pitchers do not play every game of the baseball season which is why teams generally carry several of them. The grind of pitching is too much to take the mound every single game. The more pitchers tend to throw, the less effective they are. Because of this, most teams have five starting pitchers who rotate with a start every fifth day. Teams also have several relief pitchers who will be available three or four times at the most each week for fewer innings. There are occasional exceptions.

In 1996, Eddie Guardado of the Minnesota Twins earned his nickname “everyday Eddie” by appearing in a league-leading 83 games as a relief pitcher. However, it was in 1974 when Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers made 106 appearances on the mound. No pitcher has ever played more games in a single season. He didn’t even come close to appearing in all of them. A bionic arm or really good health insurance may be needed in order to appear anywhere close to the number of games Marshall pitched.

Why are MLB seasons so long?

MLB seasons are long because the sport is one that can be played every day. Teams will play each other two to four times in a row before moving onto the next series versus a different opponent. While it may feel long, the size of the rosters and the lighter toll the sport takes on players allows them to play more games, make more money, and get a lot richer in the process.

The period of the MLB season from July through the end of August can be referred to as the “dog days of summer.” The increased heat can make those games of the 162 game schedule feel a lot longer because teams are often already out of championship contention or already prepared to play the playoff games that matter a whole lot more.

Compared to the NFL’s much shorter schedule, the MLB schedule can feel like the last hour of work on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Meanwhile, every NFL game seems like major surgery or a first date; whichever feels scarier.

How many times does each MLB team play each other?

Beginning in 2023, MLB teams will play each other at least three times per year. Prior to this, the MLB schedule was very unbalanced with only limited games versus teams outside of the division. All American League teams would play each other at least once and they would face off against only a small number of National League teams and vice versa.

The 2023 schedule will include 14 total games against each divisional opponent and another 6 games against the other 10 teams within their league. Interleague play will expand further and haters of it will grind their teeth a little harder at night. The schedule will include 4 against the team’s geographical rival and 3 versus the rest of the league. The host of the latter will change each year.

Has any team in MLB gone undefeated?

The length of the MLB schedule which includes 162 total games makes it impossible for a team to ever go undefeated. Baseball is a sport where on any given day the best team can lose to the worst. If a team ever did go undefeated for 162 games, those players would probably have a second career playing the lottery.

The 1906 Chicago Cubs were the closest MLB team to ever having an undefeated year. They completed their season with a 116-36 record. The 2001 Seattle Mariners replicated the win total with 116 but saw themselves lose 46 times because of the added games on the schedule.

No team will ever go undefeated in Major League Baseball. Winning even 10 games in a row is tough enough let alone all 162. Even the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers, during the shortened season to 60 games, lost 17 times before winning the World Series.

What is the best baseball record ever?

The best baseball record belongs to a couple of teams depending on what parameters are set. In the modern era, the 2001 Seattle Mariners with a record of 116-46 set a new standard for a 162-game schedule. The 116 wins tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs. However, the 1906 Cubs were 116-36 for a higher winning percentage at .763. This is the best winning percentage of any team after 1886 and remains tied for the highest win total.

The 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers did actually top the 2001 Mariners in winning percentage when they went 43-17 in the pandemic-shortened 60-game season. With a winning percentage of .717, they narrowly overtook the .716 held by the Mariners from 19 years earlier. The major difference was that the Dodgers actually won a championship while the Mariners still haven’t even made it to a World Series. That’s not rain in Seattle. That’s tears of the baseball fans.

How many baseball seasons are in a year?

There is only one baseball season each year. Unlike the other major sports in North America, it all takes place on the same calendar, too. There is no hyphen needed like in the NBA or NHL or even the NFL with its postseason taking place in the following year.

Major League Baseball will have one season per year, typically beginning with players reporting to camp in February before a series of exhibition games lasting several weeks. The regular season begins in the early part of the spring and lasts until the beginning of fall. The reason for this schedule is because many of the teams in MLB play in cities where winters are unforgiving and regular snow would cause far too many games to get canceled. Baseball is a sport made to be played outdoors in good weather—not on ice under a depressing overcast winter sky.

How many days are in the MLB season?

The number of days in the MLB season will vary from year to year. Each team has 162 games on their schedule with off-days for traveling and general one-day breaks in between. This also doesn’t include spring training games or the length of the postseason which can also last different lengths of time due to any year’s given schedule and how many games certain series last. There is no one consistent number of days each year for when the baseball season will last.

A good estimate for the number of days in MLB’s regular season is 183 which covers every day from April 1 through September 30. You can add on another 62 days to cover the preseason in March and the postseason in October. It really depends on when you consider the season has officially started and what year you are counting.

How many months are in a baseball?

A full MLB regular season can include games beginning at the end of March until the beginning of October. However, there are only 6 months when teams will typically have a full schedule of games. Those months are April, May, June, July, August, and September.

If your team rubs its shamrocks together hard enough they might be one of the lucky ones to make it to the playoff. If so, there will be games for them in October, too. On rare occurrences, the World Series has even extended into November. The 2001 season when teams were delayed after the 9/11 attacks pushed the season back several days and ended with Game 7 of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees taking place on November 4.

How many games were at the start of the National League?

When the National League first began in 1876, there were 8 teams. The league was much less organization back then. Teams played games totaling anywhere from 57 to 70 with an average of 65 games played each.

The New York Mutuals, who sound more like a bank’s softball club than a National League squad, played only 57 games, finishing with a 21-35. The Boston Red Stockings played the most with 70 games on their schedule. They finished with a 39-31 record.

Only the Cincinnati Reds hit the exact average of the league with 65 games played. Unfortunately, this was more of a punishment for them than anything else. They finished dead last with a record of 9-56.

How many innings are in baseball?

Major League Baseball plays 9 full innings. Each inning lasts until the team at bat receives three outs. The only time a baseball game will not go 9 innings is if there is a suspension of action—usually because of bad weather—and the game is beyond 5 innings with one team already ahead. At this point, the decision may be made to declare the team ahead at this point the winner. Sometimes, the game will be resumed the following day or at a later point in the season.

In 2020 and 2021, MLB experimented with playing 7 innings during scheduled doubleheaders. This was an adjustment due to the pandemic. In 2022, they reverted back to 9 innings for all games regardless of whether it was a doubleheader or not.

Do all baseball games go to 9 innings?

Every baseball game is supposed to go 9 innings which means you better save room in your stomach for some crackerjacks. However, weather or other circumstances can sometimes shorten games. The goal is to at least give the visiting team 9 opportunities to bat. If after the top of the 9th inning the home team is ahead, the game will end.

In 2020 and 2021, the MLB chose to play only 7 innings during scheduled doubleheaders when teams would play each other twice in the same day. This was a response to the ongoing pandemic to limit the time people were in contact with each other. Beginning in 2022, the league went back to 9 full innings. Our non-baseball-loving little sisters would be very unhappy about this if forced to ever go to a game again.

Why do baseball games end in 7th inning?

Baseball games do not typically end in the 7th inning. The only years when this was common was in 2020 and 2021 when doubleheaders were reduced from 9 to 7 innings because of the ongoing pandemic. As of 2022, games are supposed to go 9 innings. If you’re told it is over after 7 innings, you might just be with someone who wants to leave early and beat traffic.

The only exception for a game to not go 9 innings is if there is bad weather. Games can get “called” after a 5 innings are played and become official even without all 9 innings getting played. This is up to the discretion of MLB officials and not your father who insists on leaving early and being the first out of the parking lot.

How long is an inning in baseball?

There is no time limit for how long an inning will last. One of the beauties about baseball has been how an inning can be over before you return from the bathroom or last two trips to the concessions stand. It all depends on how many pitchers are thrown and how long it takes to record the necessary number of outs.

One consistency is that every innings consists of 3 outs for both teams for 6 total outs. The visiting team will bat first and once there are 3 outs, the home team will get their opportunity. After they get out 3 times, the inning ends. At this point, you can begin your quick ascent to the bathroom with a hope and prayer that you don’t miss a pitch.

Why is baseball 9 innings?

Baseball is 9 innings for more than just the fact that it’s such an evenly distributed number that can be divided into 3s or the fact that there are 9 men in each team’s lineup. This gives each at least three chances to bat.

Originally, teams would play until they scored 21 aces—the modern and more Las Vegas-friendly term for scoring a run. In 1856, this all changed. The 9 innings we all grew up knowing and loving was agreed upon and became the standard for the game. It has worked out far better than having to wait around for one team to score a certain number of times. We might never see our children again if this was the case.

How do innings work?

There are 9 innings in a baseball game and each of them works the same. In the top half of the inning, the visiting team will get their chance to score as many runs as they can until three outs are recorded against them. The most common way outs are recorded are by striking the batter out, tagging runners out, catching a ball hit while it is in the air, or forcing a runner out by tagging the base with a part of your body before they reach it. As tempting as it may be, pegging a runner with the ball is not allowed.

Once 3 outs are recorded against the visiting team, the home team will get their chance. The same rules apply. The teams go back-and-forth until all 9 innings have been played. After the top of the 9th inning, if the home team is in the lead, the game will end. The home team is victorious. The fans cheer. All is good in the world.

Why is it 3 strikes and 4 balls?

Early baseball rules changed a lot during the 1800s. As the game became more popular, certain standards needed to be set so games would remain entertaining and not last half a lifetime. Eventually, the 3 strikes and 4 balls was reached.

Pitchers began to do more than simply toss the ball to get hit as they did in the early days when batters were the gladiators and pitchers were the ones who cleaned up after them. Offense was decreasing and the number of balls allowed was dropping just about every season from the 9 they were set at during one point in the early days of the game. It took a lot of tinkering with the rules until finally in 1889 they found the right balance of 3 strikes and 4 balls.

The rule of 3 strikes and 4 balls is one of baseball’s most basic. And while there will be eras ruled by offense or pitching, this rule has always remained the same. It took years to perfect and they seemed to have gotten it right.

How do baseball games end?

Not every baseball game ends the same. For some ambitious families, it ends early when the kids grow a little too cranky for all of the action around them. For others, they get to stay in their seats and see the real conclusion.

Baseball games will end after 8 and a half innings if the home team has the lead or after 9 innings if the road team has more runs. The home team can also win after 9 full innings if in the bottom of the 9th they take the lead. In that instance, the win would be considered a walk-off.

The same rules apply for extra innings. If after 9 innings the score remains tied, each team will take turns batting. If after the full inning is complete and the road team has more runs, the game will end. If at any point the home team takes the lead in their opportunity to bat, the game will end immediately and usually with a lot of celebrating.