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Game rules

Innings, mercy rules and time limits

Nine innings in baseball, seven in slo-pitch and fastball — and in plenty of leagues, a run-ahead rule or the clock ends it sooner. Here is how each works, and exactly what Score That Play lets you set.

How long is a game

How many innings are in baseball and slo-pitch

9

Baseball

Regulation in professional baseball. Youth and high-school games are often six or seven.

7

Slo-pitch & fastball

Regulation in softball. Rec leagues often play to a time limit instead.

An inning is complete when both teams have batted and made three outs. A game is official at the scheduled number of innings if one team is ahead; if it is tied, it goes to extra innings.

Ending early

Run-ahead (mercy) rules and time limits

Run-ahead rule. A league’s mercy rule is written as a lead and an inning — for example, ten runs ahead after five innings. Once that many innings are complete and either team leads by at least that many runs, the game is over. Leagues differ on the details, including whether it can end in the middle of an inning, so go by your own rule book. Slo-pitch leagues often mix up a mercy rule with a per-inning run cap; Umpy’s guide for umpires explains how each one is applied, including whether the last inning is open.

Time limit. Common in slo-pitch, where the next team is waiting for the diamond. “No new inning after 60 minutes” means the inning under way at the hour is finished, and the game ends there — tied or not, in most rec leagues.

In Score That Play

What you can set, and where

The rules are set when you start the game, and the app applies them to every play from then on.

Your first game

The guided setup’s “What are you playing?” step asks for:

  • The game: baseball or fastball (nine in the field), or slo-pitch (ten)
  • Innings: 5, 6, 7 or 9 (7 to start with)
  • Time limit: none, 60, 75 or 90 minutes

Add New Game → Game Settings

The optional settings panel when you add a game has:

  • Scheduled Innings: 5, 6, 7 or 9
  • Time Limit: any number of minutes, or none
  • Run-Ahead Rule: [runs] ahead after [inning] — leave it empty for none
  • Slowpitch Mode: hides pitchers, pitch tracking and balls and strikes

How the app applies them:

  • Regulation: the game ends after the scheduled innings if a team is ahead. If the home team leads after the top of the last inning, the bottom half is skipped.
  • Walk-off: in the bottom of the last inning or later, the game ends the moment the home team goes ahead.
  • Extra innings: a tie after regulation keeps going, inning by inning, with no cap.
  • Run-ahead: once the inning you set has been completed, the game ends at the end of an inning where either team leads by at least the margin, or after a top half if the home team already leads by it. It is never checked in the middle of a half-inning, and the home team always gets its turn at bat.
  • Time limit: once the limit has passed, the inning in progress is played out and the game ends, and a tie stands. If the home team is already ahead after the top half, the bottom half is skipped. The clock runs from the first play you record, not from when you opened the app.

One run-ahead rule per game is available when you add a game; the guided first game sets innings and a time limit only.

Questions

Innings and mercy rules, answered

How many innings are in a baseball game?
Nine in professional baseball, including Major League Baseball. Youth and high-school games are often shorter, commonly six or seven innings, so check your league’s rules.
How many innings are in a slo-pitch or softball game?
Seven is the regulation length in softball, slo-pitch and fastball alike. In recreational slo-pitch the clock often decides it instead: a time limit ends the game before seven innings are played.
What happens if the game is tied after the last inning?
It goes to extra innings, one full inning at a time, until a team is ahead at the end of an inning — or the home team takes the lead in the bottom half, which ends the game right there. Under a time limit, many leagues let a tie stand instead.
Does the home team bat in the bottom of the last inning if it is already winning?
No. If the home team leads after the top of the final inning, the visitors have had their last chance and the bottom half is not played.
What is a mercy rule?
A mercy rule — also called a run-ahead or run rule — ends a game early when one team leads by a set number of runs once a set number of innings have been played. The numbers vary by league and age group, so take them from your own rule book.
How does a time limit work?
Most leagues word it as “no new inning after” a number of minutes. The inning in progress when time runs out is played to the end, and the score then stands.
Does Score That Play end the game for me?
Yes. Once the game is set up, the app marks it final when regulation is complete with a team ahead, on a walk-off, when the run-ahead rule is met, or when the inning in progress ends after the time limit passes. The home team always gets its turn at bat unless it is already ahead. You can also end a game yourself with the End Game button.
Can Score That Play enforce a per-inning run limit?
No. Some slo-pitch leagues cap how many runs a team can score in an inning; the app does not have that rule, so a half-inning still ends on the third out.

See how a game is scored in the app, or the stats glossary for what ends up in the box score.

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