<P> Since most professional baseball games are nine innings long , the fifth inning is used as the threshold for an official game . If the visiting team is leading , or the game is tied , the end of the fifth inning marks this point . If the home team ( which bats last ) is already ahead in the score , and theoretically would not need its half of the fifth inning , then 41⁄2 innings ( i.e. , the middle of the fifth ) is considered an official game . The game is also considered official if the home team scores to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning , since the game would end immediately if the same thing happened in the ninth . </P>
<P> Since most professional baseball games are nine innings long , the fifth inning is used as the threshold for an official game . If the visiting team is leading , or the game is tied , the end of the fifth inning marks this point . If the home team ( which bats last ) is already ahead in the score , and theoretically would not need its half of the fifth inning , then 41⁄2 innings ( i.e. , the middle of the fifth ) is considered an official game . The game is also considered official if the home team scores to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning , since the game would end immediately if the same thing happened in the ninth . </P>
how many innings must be played for a baseball game to count
how many innings must be played for a baseball game to count
41⁄2 innings
41⁄2 innings