MLB Rainout Rules: A Concise Guide for Fans

An MLB game gets stopped because of weather. What happens to it depends on three things: how many innings have been played, who’s winning, and whether it’s the regular season or postseason.

The rules are more specific than most fans realize, and they changed significantly in 2020 in a way that almost no one talks about. Here’s the complete rundown.

 When a game becomes “official”

An MLB game becomes official — also called a “regulation game” — when one of the following is true:

• Five full innings have been played, OR
• Four and a half innings have been played AND the home team is leading

The 4½ inning exception exists because once the home team has a lead and the visiting team has finished their fifth at-bat, there’s no reason for the home team to bat in the bottom of the fifth. Both teams have had the same number of opportunities.

The three possible outcomes

An MLB rainout can result in one of three outcomes:

1. The game counts as a final result. If the game has reached official status (5 innings, or 4½ with the home team leading) and one team is clearly ahead, the result stands. The leading team wins. All stats count.

2. The game becomes suspended. If the game is tied when stopped, OR if the visiting team just took the lead in an inning the home team hadn’t completed, the game is suspended. It will be resumed at a later date from the exact point of stoppage.

3. The game is treated as suspended even before becoming official. Since 2020, any game that has started and is then stopped is suspended and resumed from the exact point of stoppage, regardless of how many innings have been played. The “no game” designation has effectively been eliminated.

The 2020 rule change everyone missed

Before the 2020 season, an MLB game stopped due to weather before becoming official was declared a “no game.” All statistics were wiped out. The game was replayed from scratch on a future date. This was the rule for over a century.

The change came after a series of absurd situations. The most infamous occurred on June 1, 2019, when the Cubs and Cardinals played in St. Louis through a four-hour rain delay, finally concluding around 1 a.m. — because umpires were trying desperately to push past the fifth inning so the game would become official. They had a doubleheader looming the next day.

For the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, MLB changed the rule to reduce these scheduling nightmares: any game that had started and was stopped due to weather would be suspended and resumed from the point of stoppage, regardless of how many innings had been played. This change was kept for 2021, then made permanent in the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

So as of today: every MLB regular season game that gets started and then stopped by weather is either ruled a final result (if official and decided) or suspended for resumption.

The postseason exception

MLB postseason games operate under different rules entirely. Since the 2008 World Series, all postseason games must be played to completion — at least nine full innings.

The trigger was Game 5 of the 2008 World Series between the Phillies and Rays. The game was tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth when heavy rain made the field unplayable. Under the old rules, MLB would have faced an impossible decision in the postseason. The game was eventually suspended and resumed two days later, with the Phillies winning the series.

The new rule went on the books for the 2009 postseason: any postseason game stopped at any point for any reason is automatically suspended and resumed from the point of stoppage. There’s no “official game” cutoff in the postseason. A World Series game stopped after one pitch in the first inning would still be suspended, not declared a no-game.

The statistical quirks of suspended games

Suspended games create some of the strangest statistical anomalies in baseball. Because everything in a suspended game is recorded as having happened on the original game date, players can end up with stats from games they weren’t even on the team for yet.

The most famous example: Lou Montanez was called up to the Baltimore Orioles on August 5, 2008. He recorded a hit in the resumption of a suspended game that had originally started on April 28, 2008 — months before he was on the major-league roster. By rule, the hit is statistically recorded as occurring on April 28. He effectively got an MLB hit before his MLB debut.

Even stranger: Ken Griffey Jr. walked for the White Sox in that same resumed game on August 25, 2008, after going 2-for-4 in a Reds game on April 28. The official record now shows him reaching base for two different teams on the same calendar date.

The lightning rule fans don’t realize

Most fans don’t realize that lightning is treated differently than rain. MLB’s lightning detection protocol triggers an automatic 30-minute delay any time lightning is detected within 8 miles of the stadium. The clock resets every time a new strike is detected within that radius.

This is a player and fan safety rule that has nothing to do with field playability. A bone-dry field with clear skies can still trigger a delay if a thunderstorm is moving through the broader area. Fans frequently complain about delays during seemingly nice weather, not realizing the umpires are responding to lightning detection rather than visible rain.

The 8-mile radius and 30-minute reset are based on National Weather Service guidance for outdoor sporting events.

Rainout rules at lower levels

The 5-inning rule for MLB doesn’t apply at every level of organized baseball. Different leagues use different thresholds because games are different lengths:

[INSERT RAINOUT CHART HERE]

The big differences worth noting:

• High school baseball typically uses 5 innings as the official threshold even though full games are 7 innings.
• Little League Major Division uses 4 innings as official because full games are only 6 innings.
• Travel ball tournaments often have local rules that override these defaults — tournament directors have wide discretion.

For parents whose kids play at multiple levels, the rules genuinely change between leagues. Don’t assume what applies in MLB applies on Saturday morning at the Little League field.

Famous MLB rainouts in history

2008 World Series Game 5: Tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth, the game was suspended due to heavy rain at Citizens Bank Park. It was the first World Series game ever suspended. The Phillies eventually won the resumption two days later, clinching the championship.

1986 Pirates vs. Cubs at Wrigley Field: A game tied 8-8 after 13 innings was suspended on April 20 due to darkness — Wrigley Field still didn’t have lights. The game was finally completed on August 11, with the Pirates winning in the 17th. Barry Bonds played in the resumption as a pinch-hitter.

1984 White Sox vs. Brewers: The teams played 17 innings before being suspended due to a curfew. Harold Baines won it the next day with a home run in the 25th inning. It became the longest game in MLB history by total innings.

The bottom line for fans

If you’re at an MLB game and it gets rained out, here’s what to know:

• If 5 innings have been played (or 4½ with the home team leading) and the score isn’t tied, the game is final.
• If fewer than 5 innings have been played, or the game is tied, the game will be suspended and finished later — your stats from the game count.
• If you bought tickets and the game doesn’t reach official status, you’ll likely get a rain check or makeup ticket.
• If it’s the postseason, the game is always going to be completed, no matter how short it was when it stopped.

The 2020 rule change effectively means MLB has eliminated the “no game” outcome for any game that starts. Once first pitch is thrown, you’re getting an official outcome — either today or whenever the suspended portion can be resumed.