The Frontier League will return to the base paths to break ties in the 2022 season.
The league announced Monday that it will do away with its Home Run Derby tiebreaker it used last season and implement a sudden-death inning.
The sudden-death option would come into play after one extra inning using the international tiebreaker rules.
This will be in effect for any traditional single game of nine innings or any seven-inning game of a doubleheader.
Under the sudden-death format, one-half inning will be used, and the teams will determine which one will be on offense and which one will be on defense.
The offensive team will have runner — the one in the lineup preceding the first batter due up — on first base.
The defensive team will have three outs to prevent that runner from scoring. If it does that, it wins. If the offense scores, it wins
The rule guarantees no traditional game will be played past 10 1/2 innings or past 8 1/2 innings for a doubleheader game.
The Home Run Derby tiebreaker was used 22 times in the 2021 season. It represented 2.9% of all scheduled games.
The Washington Wild Things went to the Home Run Derby tiebreaker just once. It lost that game.
They played in three extra-inning games in the regular season.
“While sudden death will not happen every game, we believe when it does it will have the fans on their feet,” said Kevin Winn, the Frontier League’s deputy commissioner for on-field operations.
“Created by a former manager, this initiative received overwhelming support of our current field managers and rules committee.”
The Wild Things begin their 20th Frontier League season May 13 at home against the New York Boulders.
The team’s full 2022 schedule and other information can be found at washingtonwildthings.com.
