# MLB: September/October Regular Season 2022 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [September 1, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738 "2022-09-01T16:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/281 "2022-09-27T12:33:59Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Of the things to go purist over, this is low on the list. Really? I see it as a fundamental perversion of the sport. Why is the guy on second? Did get he get a hit or a walk? Reach on an error? Nope, he’s just there. It’s something a little league coach might come up with so they could get the little tykes a hot dog and a soda before dark. Banning the shift or instituting a pitch clock is an insignificant tweak. Every game decided by the ghost runner is another game with an illegitimate result. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/282 "2022-09-27T13:25:32Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > An infinite number of strikeouts is possible if the third strike is dropped and the batter reaches first without being tagged Nitpick: The number of strikeouts must be finite, but it can be arbitrarily large. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/283 "2022-09-27T13:36:28Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Banning the shift or instituting a pitch clock is an insignificant tweak. Every game decided by the ghost runner is another game with an illegitimate result. And that’s your right, but I’ll note that even in this thread, there was somebody arguing that banning the shift was a fundamental change in the game. Opinions clearly differ. I don’t really care about extra inning games. Let games end in ties, if ghost runners are a bridge too far. All major sports have had to incorporate some changes that purists would consider excessive. While some don’t want the game to change at all, it pretty much has to change to survive. How it chooses to do so, I’ll let other people decide. People consider baseball stodgy for good reason. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/284 "2022-09-27T14:10:39Z")
To me, the ghost runner sucks but it’s become a ‘whatever’ for me. I know enough about the early days of baseball to know that games sometimes ended early because of darkness or the team had to catch a train. No one wants that part of the era back. I am sure it’s just confirmation bias, but I do remember a lot of teams getting stuck with a mega 17 inning night game and then having a day game the next day. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/285 "2022-09-27T16:23:20Z")
Or pitch an immaculate game. 81 pitches, 81 strikes. There have only been 100 or so immaculate innings in MLB so it’ll probably never happen, but it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/286 "2022-09-27T16:25:40Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > To me, the ghost runner sucks but it’s become a ‘whatever’ for me. Totally agree with this statement. On September 18th, the Twins and Guardians played a 15-inning game, the longest in the majors this year. Also the longest in terms of time. So the ghost runner is achieving what it was intended to do. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/287 "2022-09-27T17:17:31Z")
The Manfred Man perverts the game for several reasons, but chiefly because a pitcher can do everything right and still surrender a run. That it’s an unearned run doesn’t really matter. Bury it forever. Pitch clocks, reviews, robo umps, shift bans…none of the other proposals screw with the essence of the game. Besides, who doesn’t like free baseball? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/288 "2022-09-27T18:25:33Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > 6 homers in a game by 1 batter. Well, or five. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Varn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michael_varn/32/14411_2.png) [@Michael\_Varn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Varn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/289 "2022-09-28T00:32:27Z")
I also looked into wether or not it is possible for two runners to be safe on the same base. The rule clearly states it cannot happen, BUT: If for whatever reason, if two baserunners end up on the same base by mistake, it is still the responsibility of lets say, the third baseman, to tag out the lead runner. In this this situation, coaches tell players to quickly tag both runners just in case the third basemen isn’t sure who the lead runner is. Which means the lead runner is not out until he is tagged. So, the question is, only hypothetically of course, if the third baseman does not tag either one of the runners, and throws it back to the pitcher instead to restart the game, what happens next? If the lead runner is not tagged he is not out, so can the game resume with two runners on third? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/290 "2022-09-28T01:06:27Z")
> [@Michael\_Varn](#): > > If the lead runner is not tagged he is not out, so can the game resume with two runners on third? I’ve long wondered this myself. And if the bases are laded with two runners on third, does a grand slam give the batter 5 RBIs? However, the lead runner is not out. It is the following runner who is out if both are tagged. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/291 "2022-09-28T01:24:07Z")
The Yankees and Cardinals will both clinch their divisions tonight if they win. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/292 "2022-09-28T02:02:05Z")
@OldGuy is right. If two runners occupy a base, the lead runner is safe. The following runner is subject to being tagged out. If two runners are occupying the same base, the play is still live, and the umpires will not call time out until the following runner is tagged or he safely returns to his preceding base. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/293 "2022-09-28T02:12:11Z")
A Marlins pitcher, who had never committed a balk in his career, was just called for THREE in a single inning. Gave up a run, which makes it 6-4 Miami going into the ninth. Absolutely bizarre. I’m a Mets fan, but I think that was very poor umpiring and I don’t blame the Marlins for being upset and a couple of people getting ejected for arguing. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/294 "2022-09-28T02:32:16Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > If two runners are occupying the same base, the play is still live, and the umpires will not call time out until the following runner is tagged or he safely returns to his preceding base. They certainly won’t call “time”, but what will they do? Suppose the pitcher gets the ball and stands on the rubber and the batter gets in the box. I guess the home plate ump will just stand there and not get “into position”. What if the pitchers throws the ball? I guess it’s still live? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/295 "2022-09-28T02:36:30Z")
[The three balks video clip (streamable.)](https://streamable.com/hc4hre) ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/296 "2022-09-28T02:44:10Z")
Wow, that is some complete bullshit. I have seen _many_ pitchers that balk much worse than that routinely. To call that three times in a row is just some ego-tripping. If I were more conspiracy-minded I’d want to make sure that ump didn’t have anything riding on the game… The third one in particular I didn’t see anything. Certainly nothing that would fall under “attempting to deceive the runner”. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/297 "2022-09-28T06:03:25Z")
And Crag Kimbrel has absolutely gone terrible. Might be cut from Dodgers postseason roster. Threw 9 pitches half a block away from the strike zone. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/298 "2022-09-28T12:56:53Z")
No, no, keep him on the roster. He’ll come around. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/299 "2022-09-28T12:58:00Z")
I’ve been watching baseball for 60 years and I still can’t tell WTF is a balk and what isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/300 "2022-09-28T14:08:50Z")
One week to go in the regular season, and five divisional races have been decided. The Mets and Braves are tied for the NL East with 7 games to play; one team will win the division and the other will be the top WC team in the NL. Otherwise, nothing has yet been determined in the WC races, with Seattle holding a 3.5 game lead over Baltimore for the last AL WC spot, and the Phillies trying to hold off the Brewers for the last NL WC spot. The Mets play a 3-game series at Atlanta this weekend. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738.md?page=16)