Baseball is the game that is played for several hours, with each time playing for nine innings and get nine turns to bat.
Earlier Baseball was a seven-inning match, and now Baseball is a nine-inning game. But why Baseball games 9 innings? Who sets nine innings for Baseball?
Why Do Baseball Games Have 9 Innings?
The seventh-inning stretch of the game is entertaining. But Baseball is a nine innings game. But why? The answer is that the game was not always a nine-inning game; the team plays until one team has scored 21 times. Most games do not last more than six innings.
But with time, pitching is getting better that makes it very difficult to score runs, and the game started to last longer. So, baseball bosses decided to set an innings limit, and it is set to nine players and nine innings.
How is Baseball Game Set to 9 Innings?
Earlier, the game was played until one team scored runs 21 times. In 1856, there was a tie game due to darkness with 12-12 scores after 16 innings, and it made it clear that there should be some necessary changes in rules. So, a decision to set the limit of innings in the game is made.
Of course, the debate happened on how many innings should be there in the game to be played.
Firstly, they thought to tie the number of innings to the minimum number of players playing on each side, for a game to move forward. That time, the number of players was seven.
In 1956, the rule of seven players and seven innings was constructed by the Knickerbocker Club, who were playing matches against other clubs.
It was decided to form a committee that standardizes the number of innings a game should be played.
The Knickerbockers were the supporters of the seven-inning game. They sent Louis F Wadsworth as part of their delegation to the newly formed committee for receiving their desired outcome of seven-innings.
But Louis adopted his original stance and persuaded other clubs on the new committee to support for nine innings.
Thus, the proposal from Knickerbockers of seven innings and seven players was denied, and instead, the rule of nine players and nine innings on the field was passed. From then, Baseball in America has been played with nine players in a team and for a regulation length of nine innings.
What is the Rule of 9 Innings, 9 Players, and 9 Feet?
- 9 Innings: However, the new committee decided on a nine-inning game, with Knickerbocker Louis F Wadsworth advocation for this outcome contrary to his own club’s recommendation. In 1856, the game lasted for only about six innings, and the convention in 1857 made the game longer about 50 percent. In 1856, the matches got suspended due to darkness, and longer games make things worst. The decision to make the game of nine innings is both workable and durable.
- 9 Players: Earlier, rules were not specified for the number of players on a team. It is believed that a team needs nine players in a team. The introduction of a new rule of nine innings and nine players has cleared the fact of having nine players in a team. They felt that the number of players and the number of innings should be identical. There were seven members in the Knickerbocker club, so they recommended the seven innings game to preserve such symmetry.
- 9 Feet: As per the rules prescribed in 1845, an infield layout that separated the four bases by less than 30 “paces”. A pace was defined as 30 inches, and a three-feet pace dictates a baseline of nearly modern length. If that pace was used, the distance between bases was about 75 feet. The rule in 1857 would extend the distance by 20 percent that affects the rate of scoring.
How Long Does It Take to Play the 9-Inning Game?
It takes about three hours to play nine innings, but some factors can make the game longer or shorter to play:
- Bad Weather: Due to rain, most of the games get delayed, and the umpire makes the decision to postpone the game. If postponed, then the game gets rescheduled on a later date.
- Low Scoring: When a pitcher throws a lot of strikeouts and gives only a few hits to the opposing team, then that leads to their low scores in the game.
- High Scoring: There are times when batters play a great game and get a lot of hits, making score high, which lengthens the game.
- Pitching and Fielding: When a pitcher gives a lot of hits, the manager can make the pitching changes to relieve the pitcher on the field. The reliever is allowed to warm up on the ground by throwing it to the catcher. Giving him the warm-up time can add up to 15 minutes to the game. And more time is added when the opposite time changes its pitchers.
- Disputes: There is a base called a home plate, behind where the umpires stand. There were many times when managers do not agree with the umpire’s call. They run out of the dugout and approach the umpire to argue about the call, which can cause a short delay. Instant replays are allowed for the second opinion on specific requests since 2014.
- Extra Innings: When the game is tied, then the game is continued to play the tenth inning and is played until one team hits the winning score. Extra innings can make last longer than the standard duration. Rain can delay the game further and can make it last longer. Every attempt is made to finish the game no matter what condition or how long it has been played.
Final Thoughts
Baseball is the game that can last up to 3 hours if there are nine innings to be played. But why Baseball games 9 innings? The Baseball committee decided the best innings time to play this game to prevent tie and to get it played for long hours.
