How long is a baseball game and how is it won?
B · Beginner · The game · 1 of 5A game is nine innings, or seven or six in some competitions. In each inning both teams bat once, and a team bats until three of its players are out. The team with more runs at the end wins. The home team bats second and does not bat in the last inning if it is already ahead.
How it works
- An inning: the part of a game in which "the teams alternate on offence and defence and in which there are three putouts for each team".
- Half-innings: each team's time at bat is a half-inning. The visiting team bats first.
- How many: "six (6), seven (7) or nine (9) innings".
- In WBSC events: nine innings in the Premier12, seven in the under 15, under 18, under 23 and women's World Cups, and six for under 12.
- The home team ahead: the game ends when the visitors finish their half of the last inning.
- A walk-off: if the home team scores the winning run in its last half-inning, "the game ends immediately".
- Tied: play continues into extra innings until one team is ahead after a completed inning, or the home team goes ahead.
- Called early: a game stopped by the umpire counts if five innings of a nine-inning game have been completed, or four of a shorter one.
- Too early: before that, it is "No Game".
- Forfeit: as a last resort, against a team that refuses to play or cannot field nine players.
The glossary has the inning, the regulation game, the run, the extra innings entry, the tie game and the forfeit.
Tricky cases
The home team leads 4-2 after the visitors have batted in the ninth. Does the home team bat?
No. The game ends when the visiting team completes its half of the last inning with the home team ahead.
The home team is level in the bottom of the ninth and scores. Does the inning continue?
No. The game ends immediately when the winning run is scored.
Rain stops a nine-inning game after six innings with one team ahead. Is there a result?
Yes. Once five innings have been completed it is a regulation game.
Can a game end in a tie?
A regulation game called with the score tied is dealt with by the competition: the rules describe it both as a suspended game to be completed and as a tie game.
Why the rule exists
Baseball has no clock. A game is measured in outs, 27 for each side over nine innings, so a team cannot protect a lead by wasting time: it must still get the other side out. Batting last is the home team's one built-in advantage, since it always knows what it needs.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Premier12 | Nine innings | WBSC Baseball Appendix 1, A1.2 |
| Under 15, under 18, under 23, women | Seven innings | WBSC Baseball Appendix 1, A1.2 |
| Under 12 | Six innings | WBSC Baseball Appendix 1, A1.2 |
| A one-sided game | May end early under the run difference rule | WBSC Baseball Rule 6.71 |
From the rule book
World Baseball Softball Confederation, Official Rules of Baseball (2025-2026 edition), Rules 1, 6.47, 7.7 to 7.11 and Appendix 1. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WBSC Official Rules of Baseball 2025-2026 (PDF).