Can a Baseball Game End in a Tie?

Are there ties in baseball?

In this article, we’ll explain how baseball decides a winner if a game is tied at the end of regulation.

Does Baseball Have Overtime?

Baseball does have overtime rules. They are called Extra Innings.

An extra inning is an inning more than the standard for that specific game. The standard length of all Major League Baseball games and most major college games is 9 innings.

The standing length of most high school and youth games is 7 innings.

How Do Baseball Extra Innings Work?

In 2022, Major League Baseball updated their extra inning rules.

In an effort to speed up the game, each extra inning now begins with a runner on second base. Most youth and school organizations have followed suit and implemented similar rules for extra innings.

Can a Baseball Game End in a Tie?

Yes, a baseball can end in a tie—depending on league rules.

Here’s how the USSSA, an organization that regulates a large percentage of youth tournament baseball in America, handles ties:

• In pool play, games can end in ties at the end of the standard game (when time or inning maximums are reached)
  
• In bracket play, extra innings are used to break ties when two teams are tied at the end of the time or inning maximum

Can a Major League Baseball Game End in a Tie?

A Major League Baseball game cannot end in a tie.

According to MLB, there must be a winner declared at the end of each regular season and postseason game.

In rare circumstances where a game is stopped early due to weather while the game is “either tied or in the midst of an inning in which the visiting team has taken the lead, it becomes a suspended game that will be completed at a later date from the point of termination.”