The team that scores more runs by the end of the nine innings wins. A run is scored when a player circles all four bases back to home. There are no ties: if the score is level, the game continues until it’s broken.
The run is the unit of everything
Unlike other sports, you don’t rack up points per play — you score complete runs. A home run with the bases loaded (a grand slam) is worth four runs at once; a single can drive in one. The scoreboard counts only those runs.
The walk-off: winning on the last swing
If the home team is down or tied and scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth (or in extras), the game ends immediately — that’s a walk-off. The home team doesn’t need to finish its at-bat once it’s ahead.
Preguntas frecuentes
What if the home team leads in the ninth?
It doesn’t bat the bottom of the ninth — it already won, so there’s no need to play it.
Can a game end in a tie?
Not in MLB; it’s played until there’s a winner. Games are only suspended for reasons like weather.
