Posted on 10/29/2025 2:23:35 AM PDT by WhiteHatBobby0701
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Admitting he came close to putting a position player on the mound for the first time in World Series history, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said a month ago he never would have believed he’d face that decision.
“I would have thought I was under the influence of something, for sure,” he said.
A day after the Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Freddie Freeman’s 18th-inning home run off Brendon Little to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Series, both managers said Tuesday they were getting close to having to send a position player to the mound in a game of utmost importance because they were running out of available pitchers.
Yet, neither was immediately in favor of adopting in the postseason the automatic-runner rule used in the regular season since 2020, in which each team starts every extra inning with a runner at second base. Among 209 extra-inning games this season, all ended by the 13th. In the six seasons with the “ghost” runner, the longest was the Dodgers’ 16-inning win over San Diego on Aug. 25, 2021.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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The Japanese high school tournaments (Koshien) use the two automatic runner rules now in the 10th.
Also, in Japan, where there are tie games even in the Japan Series, the longest continuous annual major WBSC Premiership championship series (since 1950) after 12 innings, Game 8 and beyond are played with the two automatic runners starting in the 13th inning. That rule was implemented starting in 2022 for Game 8 and beyond after being used for the final game, which could have been used for Game 8 November 29th, or if postponed, November 30 in 2021.
In 2004, the Korean Series (KBO) ran nine games -- Game 2 and 7 were run to four-hour time limits for spectators and Game 4 ran the full 12 innings. They played Games 8 and 9 to conclude the season.
Could Major League Baseball implement a 12-inning rule for player and spectator safety and then tack on Game 8, 9, or 10, et al with WBSC tiebreakers in the 13th?
In all Asian baseball, if a game ends in a tie, it does not count as a win or a loss. It is discarded for winning percentage, similar to pre-1972 NFL where a tie game didn't count. If you were 13-0-1, you were declared undefeated and had a perfect 1.000 winning percentage. A tie game helps in a tight pennant race.
Baseball ought to be renamed so that this new gimmick ridden spectacle is no longer confused with the greatest game ever invented.
Time limits are used in Asian ball, and in tournaments, they have to speed up play in case of tie games since they have to hurry the schedule.
The greatest game ever invented is ice hockey. All the others are fighting for a distant second. :-0
Re “… each team starts every extra inning with a runner at second base…”
It’s a crap rule, and should be removed, and never should have been used in the first place.
Those bases have to be earned; they earned by getting a hit.
Straight up there with every kid getting a “participation trophy“.
If the game goes beyond 12 innings, each team would then convert a second fielder to 3rd DH and only put 7 guys on the field. This would go on every three innings until the game ends.
That is my point.
Tenth inning begins and a runner magically appears on 2nd base.
Tweaking rules is one thing, creating base runners out of thin air is not "tweaking".
MLB should make a game 9 innings. Period. If it's a tie, it's a tie. Add a freaking column to the standings...like every other sport that uses a ball or stick.
Some states have time limits for up to 9th grade of 150 minutes (9th) and 120 minutes (8th grade).
In college baseball, the final game of a series is regulated. Teams must give a set time limit to umpires, and when that time limit is reached, if the game is tied, the game remains a tie. This ensures players are returning back to campus at a reasonable time.
That is egghead-approved entertainment period.
That is egghead-approved entertainment period.
Depends on the governing body.
In NJCAA I don’t believe that’s the case.
I have problems with it as well.
But as a middle aged man, my shoulder hurts periodically from an 11 inning game @30 years ago, so I see the reason for this. You don’t need to break bodies.
Huh? Other sports don’t declare a tie after regulation. Except some soccer leagues.
And the subject is playoffs, you can’t have ties lol
There are no ties in college football. They play as many OT periods as necessary until there is a winner.
As something of a purist, I don’t like this rule or time limits because IMO extra inning games showcase bench depth and managerial skills.
If you went straight to T-Ball, then there would be no worries about running out of pitchers.
It's actually one of the dumbest OT rules anywhere -- because all the offensive numbers count as if they were in regulation. That's how you ended up with the absurdity of a 2018 game between Texas A&M and LSU that ended up 74-72 ... where the teams scored more points in "overtime" than they did in regulation.
I think there should be ties in football. Or at least, you should not get the same credit for an overtime win, as you do winning in regulation.
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