A Question About Extra Innings

[4BiddenKnight]

I've been wondering about this question for a while.

Let's say that a visiting team has a 4-3 lead going into the bottom 9th, one of the batters on the home team hits a 2 run home run. The game is over.

Let's say using the same example, visiting team having a 4-3 lead going into the bottom 9th. Home team ties 4-4 and it goes to top 10th. Visiting team pads lead to 10-4 on top 10th, however there's still a bottom 10th and visiting team has to close out the game.

So what I'm wondering about is, why is it that home teams never have to go to top 10th or any innings where the visiting half gets a chance to bat and where the home team is required to close out the game where visiting teams always have to close out, where if they don't and give up the lead completely, the game ends for home team winning without being given a chance to retake the lead?

[55]

[4BiddenKnight]

Dead serious.

[Perfect Zero]

It's one of the perks of being the home team. There was a point in time where the home team could choose if they batted first or fielded first. Of course, the home team usually chose to field first most of the time and the rule was made automatic in the seventies. I think the Cincinnati Reds were the last home team to bat first in a home game.

EDIT: Actually I'm trying to research this now because it is an intriguing question as to who was the last home team to bat first. Technically the last home team to bat first was the Seattle Mariners, who played the then Florida Marlins at Safeco Field due to Sun Life Stadium hosting a U2 concert.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bo...01106260.shtml

Retrosheet also has this nugget from the past:

Quote:

Although we now take it for granted that the home team bats last, this was only formalized in the rules in 1950. Prior to that it was the home team's option. It would appear that it is always advantageous to bat last, since it gives the chance for a sudden-death win. However, there are interesting cases where the expected did not occur. For example, in the very first game played by the New York Yankees (called the highlanders then), on April 22, 1903, the New Yorkers batted last because the home town Washington Senators chose to bat first. The reason for this selection was to have more chances to bat the new ball, which quickly lost its resilience since games in those days were often played with one ball for the entire contest. Ron Fisher has entered several games from the 1901 New York Evening Telegram and has also encountered cases of the home team choosing to bat first.

http://www.retrosheet.org/newslt14.txt

[ImTellinTim]

Quote: Originally Posted by 4BiddenKnight

I've been wondering about this question for a while. Let's say that a visiting team has a 4-3 lead going into the bottom 9th, one of the batters on the home team hits a 2 run home run. The game is over. Let's say using the same example, visiting team having a 4-3 lead going into the bottom 9th. Home team ties 4-4 and it goes to top 10th. Visiting team pads lead to 10-4 on top 10th, however there's still a bottom 10th and visiting team has to close out the game. So what I'm wondering about is, why is it that home teams never have to go to top 10th or any innings where the visiting half gets a chance to bat and where the home team is required to close out the game where visiting teams always have to close out, where if they don't and give up the lead completely, the game ends for home team winning without being given a chance to retake the lead?

Because when the bottom of the inning ends, both teams have had their equal chance to bat. If at that point in the 9th and beyond, why would you give the visiting team another chance to bat? You'd have to give the home team another chance in that next inning too!

[4BiddenKnight]

Quote: Originally Posted by Perfect Zero

snip

Thanks for that answer. Pretty much what I was looking for. The question intrigued me as well since it's weird to see such a huge perk for home teams, when they already have a crowd, familiarity with the stadium, they don't have to commute when there's a long home stretch and better places to stay at before heading to the actual ballgame.

[RunningTheNight]

Quote: Originally Posted by Perfect Zero

Actually I'm trying to research this now because it is an intriguing question as to who was the last home team to bat first. Technically the last home team to bat first was the Seattle Mariners, who played the then Florida Marlins at Safeco Field due to Sun Life Stadium hosting a U2 concert. [

Technically, the Mariners weren't the home team. They were in Seattle, but they wore away uniforms, batted first, and other than play in Seattle, nothing was different than actually playing in Sun Life.