Official game (baseball)

In baseball, an official game (regulation game in the Major League Baseball rulebook) is a game where nine innings have been played, except when the game is scheduled with fewer innings, extra innings are required to determine a winner, or the game must be stopped before nine innings have been played, e.g. due to inclement weather. The term "official game" is mainly used in the context of a game that is stopped before nine innings have been played, though it has been used for other promotional purposes.

A game that is stopped ("called" in the MLB rulebook) by the umpires before the regulation number of innings have been played may be considered an official game if five innings have been played (4+12 innings if the home team is in the lead), unless the game meets one of the conditions for a suspended game. An official game that is stopped in this way is ended at the point of stoppage and statistics are added to each team's totals, while a suspended game is resumed from the point of stoppage at a later time. A game that is stopped before five innings have been played is considered "no game" unless it can be considered a suspended game; statistics accumulated before the stoppage are not counted and replay of the game is subject to the league rules.