What is a Doubleheader in Baseball?
A doubleheader is two baseball games played between the same teams in the same day — usually scheduled to make up a previously rained-out or postponed game, though some are planned at the start of the season.
A doubleheader in baseball refers to two games played between the same pair of teams on the same day. Doubleheaders are a longstanding part of baseball's history and serve an important scheduling function: when a game is postponed due to rain, field conditions, or other circumstances, the two teams will often make it up by playing two games the next time they meet.
Types of Doubleheaders
Traditional Doubleheader
In a traditional doubleheader, both games are played back-to-back with a brief break (usually 20–30 minutes) between them. Fans who purchased a ticket to the originally scheduled single game typically get admission to both games under the original ticket.
Traditional doubleheaders were far more common in earlier eras of baseball, when they were sometimes scheduled in advance as promotional events to attract larger crowds.
Split Doubleheader
A split doubleheader means both games are played on the same day but with a longer break in between — typically several hours. Separate tickets are required for each game. Split doubleheaders became more common in modern MLB as teams moved toward protecting revenue from individual ticket sales.
Why Doubleheaders Happen
The main cause of a modern MLB doubleheader is a postponement — most often due to weather. When rain or severe weather forces a game to be called before it becomes official (typically before completion of five innings), it must be replayed at a later date.
Teams also schedule makeup games as doubleheaders when:
- A game is cancelled due to field conditions
- A game is postponed due to a national or local event
- Travel issues prevent a team from arriving in time
At the start of each season, both teams agree on potential makeup dates. If the teams are in the same division and will meet again, a doubleheader is the most efficient solution.
Impact on Pitching and Rosters
Doubleheaders create immediate roster and pitching challenges. Teams typically need a starter available for each game, which stresses a five-man rotation. To address this, MLB rules allow teams to temporarily expand their roster for doubleheader days.
MLB's current rules permit teams to carry a 27th player on the active roster specifically for doubleheader games — typically an extra pitcher or position player to handle the added workload.
Pitching strategy considerations:
- The team's scheduled starter for the original day usually starts Game 1
- Teams often use a "spot starter" — a pitcher called up from the minors — for Game 2
- Bullpen depth becomes critical because the full complement of relievers may not be fully rested
Doubleheaders in Baseball History
In the early 20th century, scheduled doubleheaders were common promotions. On special holidays like July 4th and Labor Day, teams regularly planned to play two games to maximize gate revenue.
The record for most doubleheaders in a season was common during shorter schedule eras. Today, teams play as few as possible — most franchises play fewer than 5 doubleheaders in a full 162-game season. Weather-heavy markets like Chicago and the Northeast tend to have more.
Some of the most dramatic finishes in playoff seeding races have come down to doubleheader results in the final days of the regular season.