Baseball · MLB / Rule 01
The game and scoring
MLB · 2025In short
Teams, innings, outs and when a run counts.
Teams and innings
Each team fields 9 players. The visitors bat first and the home team bats second; each half-inning ends after 3 outs. A standard game lasts 9 innings, with extra innings if tied. The home team does not bat again when already ahead after the visitors finish their final turn.
Counting runs
A runner scores by legally touching first, second, third and home in order. A run does not count if the third out is the batter-runner before first base, a force out, or an appeal against a preceding runner for missing a base. A winning home run over the fence allows all eligible runners to finish scoring.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Based on the supplied MLB Official Baseball Rules 2025. Separate operational regulations and later amendments are not inferred. References use physical PDF pages. Explanations are condensed; the supplied edition and its stated competition conditions determine scope.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗