Neutral site

A neutral site game occurs when it is played in a ballpark that is not the normal home of either of the two teams involved. This can be the the result of a game being moved from its normal location because of weather, or due to the unavailability of the home team's ballpark, or it can simply be done in order to play a game at an unusual location (e.g. the Fort Bragg Game). In a neutral site game, there is still a designated home team, which bats last. The most famous neutral site game is the annual All-Star Game, whose venue is decided years in advance.

In 2020, due to health and safety protocols imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball decided to turn the final three rounds of the postseason into neutral site games, with four ballparks - two in California and two in Texas - being designated to host games. This was done to minimize travel and create a figurative bubble around players and staff, even allowing a limited number of spectators to be present for games in the NLCS and World Series, both or which were played at brand new Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

Neutral site games are also common in Nippon Pro Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization, as well as in the minor leagues. They were a regular feature in the Negro Leagues, including for games of the Negro World Series, as there was a long tradition of barnstorming for Negro leagues teams. All MLB games that have been played outside the United States and Canada (in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Australia, or the United Kingdom) have also been neutral site games.