Last night I was watching Red Sox at Yankees. At the end of 6, the score was Yankees 3, Red Sox 2. In the top of the 7th, the Sox scored twice and it began to rain. Fifty years ago, this situation would have resulted in a long discussion of the fact that if the 7th was not complete, the score would revert to the score at the end of 6 and the Yankees would win. Last night there was no such discussion. Has this rule changed and how? The game actually went the full nine and the Sox won 5-3.
The current rule can be found at http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/official_rules/start_end_4.jsp :
4.11
The score of a regulation game is the total number of runs scored by each team at the moment the game ends. (a) The game ends when the visiting team completes its half of the ninth inning if the home team is ahead. (b) The game ends when the ninth inning is completed, if the visiting team is ahead. © If the home team scores the winning run in its half of the ninth inning (or its half of an extra inning after a tie), the game ends immediately when the winning run is scored. EXCEPTION: If the last batter in a game hits a home run out of the playing field, the batter runner and all runners on base are permitted to score, in accordance with the base running rules, and the game ends when the batter runner touches home plate. APPROVED RULING: The batter hits a home run out of the playing field to win the game in the last half of the ninth or an extra inning, but is called out for passing a preceding runner. The game ends immediately when the winning run is scored.** (d) A called game ends at the moment the umpire terminates play. EXCEPTION: If the game is called while an inning is in progress and before it is completed, the game becomes a SUSPENDED game in each of the following situations: **(1) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to tie the score and the home team has not scored; (2) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead and the home team has not tied the score or retaken the lead. National Association Leagues may also adopt the following rules for suspended games in addition to 4.11 (d) (1) & (2) above. (If adopted by a National Association League, Rule 4.10 © (d) & (e) would not apply to their games.): (3) The game has not become a regulation game (4 1/2 innings with the home team ahead, or 5 innings with the visiting club ahead or tied). (4) Any regulation game tied at the point play is stopped because of weather, curfew or other reason. (5) If a game is suspended before it becomes a regulation game, and is continued prior to another regularly scheduled game, the regularly scheduled game will be limited to seven innings. (6) If a game is suspended after it is a regulation game, and is continued prior to another regularly scheduled game, the regularly scheduled game will be a nine inning game. EXCEPTION: The above sections (3), (4), (5) & (6) will not apply to the last scheduled game between the two teams during the championship season, or League Playoffs. Any suspended game not completed prior to the last scheduled game between the two teams during the championship season, will become a called game.
4.12
SUSPENDED GAMES. (a)** A league shall adopt the following rules providing for completion at a future date of games terminated for any of the following reasons:** (1) A curfew imposed by law; (2) A time limit permissible under league rules; (3) Light failure or malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club. (Mechanical field device shall include automatic tarpaulin or water removal equipment). (4) Darkness, when a law prevents the lights from being turned on. (5) Weather, if the game is called while an inning is in progress and before it is completed, and one of the following situations prevails: (i) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to tie the score, and the home team has not scored. (ii) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not tied the score or retaken the lead. (b) Such games shall be known as suspended games. No game called because of a curfew, weather, or a time limit shall be a suspended game unless it has progressed far enough to have been a regulation game under the provisions of Rule 4.10. A game called under the provisions of 4.12(a), (3) or (4) shall be a suspended game at any time after it starts. NOTE: Weather and similar conditions_4.12 (a) (1 through 5)_shall take precedence in determining whether a called game shall be a suspended game. A game can only be considered a suspended game if stopped for any of the five (5) reasons specified in Section (a). Any regulation game called due to weather with the score tied (unless situation outlined in 4.12 (a) (5) (i) prevails) is a tie game and must be replayed in its entirety.** © A suspended game shall be resumed and completed as follows: (1) Immediately preceding the next scheduled single game between the two clubs on the same grounds; or (2) Immediately preceding the next scheduled doubleheader between the two clubs on the same grounds, if no single game remains on the schedule; or (3) If suspended on the last scheduled date between the two clubs in that city, transferred and played on the grounds of the opposing club, if possible; (i) Immediately preceding the next scheduled single game, or (ii) Immediately preceding the next scheduled doubleheader, if no single game remains on the schedule.** (4) If a suspended game has not been resumed and completed on the last date scheduled for the two clubs, it shall be a called game. (d) A suspended game shall be resumed at the exact point of suspension of the original game. The completion of a suspended game is a continuation of the original game. The lineup and batting order of both teams shall be exactly the same as the lineup and batting order at the moment of suspension, subject to the rules governing substitution. Any player may be replaced by a player who had not been in the game prior to the suspension. No player removed before the suspension may be returned to the lineup. A player who was not with the club when the game was suspended may be used as a substitute, even if he has taken the place of a player no longer with the club who would not have been eligible because he had been removed from the lineup before the game was suspended. If immediately prior to the call of a suspended game, a substitute pitcher has been announced but has not retired the side or pitched until the batter becomes a baserunner, such pitcher, when the suspended game is later resumed may, but is not required to start the resumed portion of the game. However, if he does not start he will be considered as having been substituted for and may not be used in that game. (e) Rain checks will not be honored for any regulation or suspended game which has progressed to or beyond a point of play described in 4.10 ©.
(bolding mine)
I don’t know when or if the rule changed, but my reading of the current rules indicates that had the game been forced to end in the mid 7th with NYY losing, the game would be suspended at that point and picked up again before the next game between NYY and BOS.
I am quite certain the rule changed some time after about 1950, but I don’t know when. Anyway, that seems to cover the situation well.
In the case where the lead changes hands in the top half of an uncompleted inning, the rule changed from “revert to the last completed inning” to “suspended game” after the 1978 season.