Definition

Noun: - Overtime play in baseball: A period of play that extends beyond the standard nine innings when the score is tied at the end of the ninth inning. Play continues until one team is leading at the end of a complete inning.

Usage

• Extra innings is used to describe the additional innings played to determine a winner in a tied baseball game.
• It is a plural noun and typically used with a plural verb.
• The concept is specific to the sport of baseball.

Examples

• The game went into extra innings after the score was tied 3-3 in the ninth.
• They lost a heartbreaker in extra innings.
• Pitchers must be prepared for the possibility of extra innings.

Advanced Usage

• "To go into extra innings": To extend beyond the scheduled or standard length, often used metaphorically.
  • The meeting went into extra innings as they debated the final point.
• "Bottom/top of the [number] extra inning": Specifies the half (home/away team's turn to bat) of a specific extra inning.
  • He hit the walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth extra inning.

Variants and Related Words

• Extra inning (Singular form): Used when referring to a single additional inning, though the plural form "extra innings" is more common as a general concept.
  • The winning run scored in the first extra inning.
• Overtime: The general term for extra playing time in sports, of which "extra innings" is the baseball-specific version.

Synonyms

• Overtime (in the context of sports)
• Tiebreaker innings

Related Phrases

• Walk-off win in extra innings: A victory achieved by the home team in the bottom half of an extra inning, ending the game immediately.
• Extra-innings affair: A phrase used to describe a game that lasted for many extra innings.
  • It was a marathon, 15-inning extra-innings affair.

Noun

1. overtime play until one team is ahead at the end of an inning; e.g. baseball