Rules for a Baseball Game in a Rain Out

Rainouts usually lead to empty seats at most baseball games.

Rainouts are dreaded occurrences for fans of baseball teams that play in open-air facilities. Rainouts don't happen often, but they can be a major hindrance for spectators, particularly those who came a long way to watch a game. The way baseball handles rainouts varies, depending on how long teams were able to play prior to the inclement weather.

Pre-Game Rainout

Occasionally, threatening skies force the postponement of a baseball game before it even begins. In most cases, umpires will delay the start of a game in hopes the prevailing weather system will leave and the skies will clear sufficiently to finish the game. Pregame rain delays can last as long as two hours, but only if there is a belief that good weather is on the way. If the forecast looks bad from the start, the game is postponed and rescheduled for another day. If it is the first game of a series, the game is often made up as part of a doubleheader later in the series. If it comes at the end of the series, the game is played on a day when both teams are scheduled to be off. In the event the teams don't share an off-day, the game may be scrapped altogether.

Early-Game Rainouts

If play is called before the teams reach the fifth inning, the game is washed out and must be replayed in its entirety. Any statistics accumulated during the completed innings are wiped out. For this reason, umpires will often allow teams to continue to play even as rain is falling, as long as the safety of the players, coaches, umpiring crew and fans isn't being compromised. As with games that are postponed prior to the first pitch, early-game rainouts are made up either as part of a doubleheader, or on a day that both teams are idle.

Late-Game Rainouts

If two teams complete five innings, the game is ruled official and will count in the event that it must be halted due to rain. The team with the lead at the time of the stoppage is awarded the victory. If the home team has the lead after the visitors have batted in the top of the fifth, the game is considered official after 4 1/2 innings. In rare instances, a rained-out game may be suspended rather than ended. This occurs if an official game is stopped while an inning is being played, and the visiting team has scored to take the lead. In this case, the game is resumed at the point where it was stopped. The game is usually completed prior to the teams' regularly scheduled game on another night.

References

• MLB.com: Official Rules