What is mercy rule in baseball

When the home team takes a lead of 10 runs, the game ends immediately after the run that establishes the double-digit lead is scored, regardless of how many other runs may have scored on the play; or the number of outs there are in the inning. Note: If runners are on base when a walk-off home run is hit to end the game by way of the run rule , all of the runs count toward the final score.

The run rule is optional for local leagues during the regular season. It is mandatory during Little League International Tournament games.

Local leagues that interleague with other Little League programs, should establish prior to the game whether, or not, the run rule will be in effect. There is no other Little League playing rule that provides a different run threshold to end a game. In some Little League games for those under the age of 12, games will last a total of 6 innings. For these leagues where games last 6 innings, there is a ten-run rule that will take effect after 4 innings have been completed.

To add on an additional layer to the ten-run rule in Little League, each local league has the option of not implementing the ten-run rule.

So even though a majority of Little League games will use the ten-run rule, not all of them have to. As the name suggests, one team will have to be up by ten runs or more in order to be declared the winners of the game. So, once the specified number of innings has been completed and one of the teams is up by ten runs or more, the game is over and the team that is ahead has won the game.

If we take high school baseball as an example, the ten-run rule does not take effect until 5 innings have been completed. If the home team is ahead by ten or more runs when the ten-run rule takes effect, they will not have another turn to bat and the game will be over. This means that a high school baseball game could actually end after 4 and a half innings. If the home team is up by ten runs or more after the top half of the fifth inning has been completed, the game is over and the home team has won with just 4 and a half innings played!

Although it can be tough to be on the losing team when the ten run rule comes into effect, there are a few benefits to having the ten run rule be a part of some baseball leagues. When one team is clearly outmatched by another team, it can be tough for that team to acquire outs when playing defense.

If the ten-run rule did not exist and these two teams were allowed to play the full length of the game, the game would seem to go on forever because each inning lasts a lot longer than a typical inning would last.

So the ten-run rule helps games end on time by allowing a winner to be declared earlier than a regulation game would allow. In a lop-sided game where one team plays defense a lot more than they play offense, the defensive team will need to rely on a lot of pitches. Last Updated on July 21, Table of Contents show. Mercy Rule Definition 2. Softball and Baseball Mercy Rule 2. Little League Baseball and Other 6-inning Games 2. Fast Pitch SoftBall 2.

Slow Pitch Baseball 2.