The wait is over, the World Series is here this week with Game 1 between the Blue Jays and Dodgers. Both Canadian and Florida fans are looking forward to the Fall Classic to see if Los Angeles will retain its crown or if Toronto will return to glory after more than 30 years. However, that’s not the only thing they’re uncertain about, they also want to know how extra innings will work.
As in all sports today, baseball has changed its format and rules over time. One of the most notable, and also controversial, changes has been the rule of the runner on second to start extra innings. Instead of playing the innings as usual, teams started with a runner in a different way.
How do the bases start in extra innings during the World Series?
During the regular season, if a game goes to extra innings, both teams start each extra inning with a runner on second base when they come to bat, starting in the top of the 10th inning. That rule only exists in the regular season. No runner can start on second base during extra innings of postseason games.
In the playoffs, teams play extra innings normally, starting each inning with the bases empty, just like the first nine innings of the game. On another note, the pitch clock, which was introduced in 2023, does not change for postseason games. Likewise, batters still have to be in the batter’s box and alert to the pitcher when the clock hits eight seconds.
How many challenges per game will the Dodgers and Blue Jays have?
Another big question that baseball fans ask is about challenges in games. Managers receive an additional replay challenge for postseason games compared to regular season games. Both teams start postseason games with two manager challenges. During the regular season, they receive one challenge per game.
When a manager challenges a decision in the postseason, the team retains the challenge if it is successful, and loses it if the play is not overturned. This aspect is the same as in the regular season; only teams have one more challenge to face in the playoffs. While these are not otherworldly changes, they generate a lot of tension in both players and fans, as neither of them is used to any of these things in the regular season.
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