We told them that the 2020 Major League Baseball season would be unlike any we’ve seen before. On Friday night, we saw one of the main reasons why.
Extra inning games as we’ve always known them won’t exist during the regular 60-game season. They have been overridden with a new set of rules intended to draw quicker conclusions to games that were not decided in nine innings.
We definitely got quick resolution in the first game played under these one-year rules. Matt Olson threw a grand slam out in the tenth inning to propel the Oakland Athletics to a 7-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels.
The amount of rules that actually played in that conclusion is debatable. The Angels failed to score in the top half despite starting the inning with a runner at second base. In the bottom half, Oakland gained the same advantage and ended up loading the bases with two walks. That set the stage for Olson’s heroics.
What is not debatable is that the setup was a unique experience.
These same extra entry rules were adopted by Minor League Baseball during the 2018 season, but we understand that not everyone has a local minor league team to follow. For those who are experiencing these rules for the first time, they may have some questions about what just happened and why.
Here, we will do our best to provide some answers.
How did that runner get to second base?
The first and most important rule to understand: From the tenth inning, each half inning will start with a runner who is already second base.
The idea is that by starting each inning with a runner in scoring position, the odds of scoring a run increase, increasing the odds of a quick conclusion. Given the circumstances of this season, most notably, blocking 60 games in approximately two months, MLB does not want games to drag on until the 18th or 19th inning.
The games could still last 18 innings, of course. There is no guarantee that the teams will complete the task of scoring the gifted race, nor is there a guarantee that they will not continue to match each other’s scoring output over multiple innings. But it does improve the odds that games will end faster, while increasing urgency and drama.
Who is the runner at second base?
Most of the time, he will be the guy who made the final exit from the previous entry. It just depends on how the entry ended.
The alignment continues as it normally would. That means the starting batter for the inning will be the next hitter scheduled based on where the previous inning was. As for the runner, he is the player in the lineup that precedes the starting batter of that half inning.
This time, Shohei Ohtani made history as the first extra-inning base runner. In the ninth inning, he went out to the final with the bases loaded. In the tenth, he managed to make the next pitch when he was sent off running the bases. In no other baseball setting would this be possible.
Ohtani does consecutive outs! It makes the last of the ninth and the first of the tenth. How weird is that?
– Workingman (@ wking300) July 25, 2020
Teams also have the option of using a pinch runner. As usual, any player eliminated by a substitute during additional innings will not be eligible to return to the game.
How is the effectiveness of the launcher affected?
If the talented runner scores, the pitcher will not be charged.
This is how MLB explains it:
For purposes of calculating earned runs, the runner who begins an inning at second base in accordance with this rule shall be considered a runner who has reached second base due to a fielding error, but no error shall be charged to the opposing team.
Basically, it’s an unearned race. Unfortunately for the pitcher, they can still be charged with the loss if the talented runner scores. In the case of Hansel Robles, the losing pitcher in Friday’s game, he will be charged with two runs due to the walks.
When does the game end?
Nothing new here.
If a team leads at the end of a full inning, that team wins. No need to accomplish anything extra. Just score the most runs in the decisive inning and win. More often than not, a Grand Slam will do it for you.
What is the strangest thing that can happen?
That is a fascinating question to ponder. Baseball has a way of creating moments that we never thought we would see, and these rules open the door for some weird things to happen, like Ohtani doing two straight outs.
Here are a couple of others.
And yes, there are other ways a launch entry could occur. A team that bats terribly out of order, for example. But three true outings could only happen in additional innings during the 2020 season,
