International Tie-Breaker Situation

What follows is from the IBAF (International Baseball Federation) Web Site. It covers the "Extra Inning Rule". The Rule assumes a regulation game of 9 innings.

Extra-Inning Rule (to be added to the IBAF Competition Norms):

If the game remains tied after the completion of ten (10) innings, the following procedures will be implemented during extra innings:

.Each team will begin the 11th inning (and any subsequent necessary extra innings) with a player on first and second, no outs.

.To begin the 11th inning, representatives from each team will meet at home plate and will indicate (at the same time) to the home plate umpire where the team wishes to begin the batting order. That is, the teams have the option of beginning the 11th inning anywhere in the existing batting order that was in effect when the 10th inning ended. Note that this is not a new lineup (just potentially a different order), and it may very well be the same lineup that ended the 10th inning. The rationale for doing so is to ensure that both teams have an equal chance at having what they consider to be their best hitters and base runners in a position to score in the 11th inning.

.For example, if the team decides to have the #1 hitter in the lineup hit first, then the #8 hitter will be placed at 2B and the #9 hitter will be placed at 1B. Furthermore, if the team decides to have the #3 hitter in the lineup hit first, then the #1 hitter would be at 2B and the #2 hitter would be at 1B.

.Once those players/runners are determined for the 11th inning, the order of any subsequent innings will be determined by how the previous inning ended. That is, if the 11th inning ends with the #6 hitter having the last plate appearance (PA), then the 12th inning begins with the #7 hitter at bat, and the #5 hitter at 2B and the #6 hitter at 1B.

.With the exception of beginning the inning with runners on 1B and 2B with no one out, all other "Official Rules of Baseball" and "IBAF Competion Norms" will remain in effect during extra innings required to determine a winner.

.No player re-entry is permitted during extra innings.

.The traditional system of the visiting team hitting in the top of the inning and the home team hitting in the bottom of the inning will remain in effect until a winner is determined.

So, there you have it. Apparently the first extra inning, the 10th, is played straight up and beginining with the 11th the other Rule takes over.

Hope this helps, even though it doesn't match up with what was done at the Tournament you attended.

That's the baseball ITB rule. Most tournaments uses the softball version but usually add their twist. Using the last batted out is stupid because there could have been many batters past the last batted out. What it should be is the last out goes to second, this way the out on the bases goes to second and you pick the order up in it's proper place.
With baseball version you start with R1 and R2 and you can start anywhere in your batting order. With the softball version you follow the batting order with just a R2. Who R2 is depends on the tournament rules.

quote:

last batted out.

A rule like this is also sometimes used to mandate courtesy runners for catchers in some leagues so they can get dressed if they are on with 2 outs.

Seems to me this phrase is too vague, and that a clearer definition is needed.

You could have a situation in which all the outs could be recorded on non-force plays on the bases, interference, and so on, unrelated to hitting and if a lot of runs scored in the inning, the hitter who was the last one not to reach safely may have batted two innings or 7 or 8 batters ago, and so he may also be the guy due to hit first or second in that extra inning.

It seems to me the right rule is not the "last batted out" but the "last batter to complete his at bat."

In my experience, "last batted out" could be the last guy tagged out or the guy three places up in the order who grounded out in the inning before and is due up second in the coming inning (creating quite a dilema).

I actually asked an umpire in a lower age group one time what would happen if the runner came up to bat while he was still on base. His response (should go into one of those great moment threads) was, "You'll need to pinch run for him so he can hit" then (after explaining how subs work), "He'll be out for batting out of order", I simply asked for the tournament director and we reached a compromise. The opposition's coach and I still laugh about it.

Usually, I'd go and ask the home plate umpire at the start of extra innings and point out any issues with his interpretation. In later age groups, you usually get an honest guy who will say he doesn't really know and he'll call the tournament director on his own for help.

Most often, last batted out is the kid who hit the ball resulting in the last out of the inning.

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Originally posted by rodk:

It seems to me the right rule is not the "last batted out" but the "last batter to complete his at bat."

That will often be a player already on base.

Around here, LBO is generally interpreted to mean the last guy to enter the dugout because he was out.

Or we could avoid the absurd tie breaking format and endure the horror of a non-elimination game finishing in a tie as in Japan (and once upon a time in MLB AllStar Games) so the pitch counters and parents don't have to go crazy and games don't have to continue until it is pitch black out ...

quote:

Originally posted by rodk:
Or we could avoid the absurd tie breaking format and endure the horror of a non-elimination game finishing in a tie as in Japan (and once upon a time in A MLB AllStar Game) so the pitch counters and parents don't have to go crazy and games don't have to continue until it is pitch black out ...

Fixed that for you.