Inning facts for kids
In baseball, softball, and other similar games, an inning is a main part of the game. Each inning has two halves, called "frames." The first half is the "top" of the inning, and the second half is the "bottom" of the inning. In each half, one team tries to score runs by batting, while the other team plays defense. The batting team keeps hitting until the defensive team gets three outs. A typical baseball game has nine innings, and softball games usually have seven innings. Sometimes, games might be shorter because of weather or longer if the score is tied. In baseball and softball, we say "inning" for both one and many, unlike in cricket where they say "innings."
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Understanding an Inning
Each half of an inning officially begins when the umpire calls "Play ball!" A full inning means that both teams have had a turn to bat, and a total of six outs have been made (three for each team). In most professional baseball games, a full game has nine innings.
The team that is visiting bats first in an inning. This is called the "top of the inning." You can think of it as being at the top of the scorecard. After the visiting team gets three outs, the "middle of the inning" break happens. Then, the home team bats. This is called the "bottom of the inning." If the home team is already winning after the top half of the last scheduled inning, or if they score to take the lead in the bottom of that inning, the game ends right away with the home team winning.
What Happens in a Tied Game?
If the score is tied after all the scheduled innings are played, the game goes into extra innings. This means they play more innings until one team finishes an inning with more runs than the other. For example, if the home team scores to take the lead in any extra inning, they win instantly. This is often called a "walk-off" win because the game ends, and everyone "walks off" the field.
When Games Are Shorter
Sometimes, a baseball game might be shorter than planned. This can happen if bad weather, like rain, interrupts the game. If it starts raining, the umpires might call a "rain delay," pausing the game to see if the weather improves. If the rain stops, play will continue. However, if the weather doesn't get better, the umpires might announce a "rainout," and the game is stopped for the day. A game shortened by rain can sometimes still count as an official game, and the team that was ahead when the game was stopped will win.
How Long Are Games?
The number of innings in a game can depend on the league and age group:
- Professional baseball and college baseball games are usually scheduled for nine innings.
- Softball games and high school baseball games typically have seven innings.
- Little League games are scheduled for six innings.
- Sometimes, college games can be shortened to seven innings if one team is ahead by a large number of runs.
- During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Major League Baseball doubleheaders were scheduled for seven innings due to the COVID pandemic. However, they returned to nine innings in 2022.
Baseball Words You Might Hear
When a team gets three outs and their turn to bat ends, it's called "retiring the side." If a team's batters are all put out without anyone reaching a base, that's known as a "one-two-three inning." The number of innings a pitcher plays in a game is tracked using a statistic called "innings pitched."
You might also hear baseball terms used in everyday conversations. For example, if someone says, "It's the bottom of the ninth," they mean there isn't much time left to change a difficult situation.
See Also
- Seventh-inning stretch
- Innings
