Tie

A tie is a baseball game that ends with both teams having scored the same number of runs. In normal play, ties should not occur in baseball, as the rules state that extra innings are played until one of the two teams wins the game. So, ties can only be the result of special circumstances.

Such games were more common in the early days of Major League Baseball, when darkness would halt games on occasion. After the introduction of lights to ballparks, this has not been an issue, and the few ties that still occur are caused by weather. With the further refinement in 2007 of rules pertaining to games ended by weather with the score tied, tie games can now only occur if such a game is the last scheduled between the two teams that season and has no bearing on the postseason; in all other cases, the game is merely suspended and completed at the first opportunity. In Major League Baseball, tie games do not count in the standings but all statistics accumulated during the game are counted. Before 2007, the game was replayed if the schedule allowed or if it had a bearing on the pennant race (it was then tacked on at the end of the season); under the current rule, the game is only replayed in the latter circumstance.

In other countries, ties are more common. For instance, in Nippon Pro Baseball, a game tied after 12 innings is ruled a tie except in the postseason. The Korea Baseball Organization has had ties even in the Korean Series as they have both an inning limitation and a time of game limitation.

One of the most famous ties in baseball took place in the 2002 All-Star Game, when Commissioner Bud Selig halted play after 11 innings as the teams were running low on pitchers. Three World Series games have ended in a tie: in 1907 (Game 1), 1912 (Game 2) and 1922 (Game 2).

The first recorded tie in the current major leagues was on May 25, 1876, a 14-inning 2-2 game between the Philadelphia Athletics and Louisville Grays. The most recent tie in the major leagues was on September 29, 2016, in the final game of the season scheduled between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Rain forced the game to be stopped in the 6th inning with a score of 1-1. It was the first tie recorded since the latest rule change in 2007. The last tie prior to that had occurred on June 30, 2005, with a final score of 2-2 between the Houston Astros and the host Cincinnati Reds; the game was stopped by weather after 7 innings. The most recent tie game in the American League was on September 18, 2003 when a game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles ended in a 1-1 tie after 5 innings. The most recent scoreless tie was on September 13, 1989 in a six-inning game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

See also

• Tiebreak