Odd Scheduling Quirk

[Let'sGoBraves]

Game three of my season was to be the Cubs @ Atlanta. It was rained out. The game was rescheduled for late June as part of a double header with my Braves the home team but the game was played at Wrigley. The rest of the series was proper with the Braves the visiting team. Pretty sure this would never, ever happen. Seeing as how the game never makes any consideration for travel in any other function in the game this makes no sense.

[Le Grande Orange]

OOTP cannot quite recreate the current real-life rules, which state that a postponed game made up in the other club's park has that other club bat first, even though it is playing in its own park. From your example, in real life, if Chicago at Atlanta is postponed, and the game cannot be made up in Atlanta, then the game is made up in Chicago, i.e.. Atlanta at Chicago. However, even though the game is taking place in Chicago, the Cubs would bat first in the makeup game.

This was a rule change implemented in 2007. Prior to then, the makeup game, Atlanta at Chicago, would be played as that with the Cubs batting second, with the team getting an extra home game for the season. MLB decided that was unfair, and by making the Cubs bat first in the makeup game, it's as if the game was being played in Atlanta, even though it is not. In other words, if home and away games are measured by whether a club bats first or second, rather than the park in which the game takes place, having the Cubs bat first keeps the proper totals in balance.

Note that attendance and revenue for such 'home team bats first' games goes toward the team in whose park the game is being played. Although the rule was adopted in 2007, it has only happened a few times. Most postponed games are made up in the park in which they were originally postponed.

From your example, OOTP ideally should list the makeup game as Atlanta at Chicago, but with Chicago batting first in that game (and that game only; the other games of the series would be played as normal). But OOTP can't do that, and because for financial system reasons all clubs need to have their full slate of home games, OOTP handles it the way you saw.

[Matt Arnold]

We do actually note the correct park in that case, so if you actually check the boxscore after the game, it will be Chicago at Atlanta (from Wrigley Field). Yes, some stuff like financials, attendance, etc... may end up with Atlanta while in reality they would go to Chicago. We try not to do this if there's a mutual off-day or another series to tag it on to.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

We do actually note the correct park in that case, so if you actually check the boxscore after the game, it will be Chicago at Atlanta (from Wrigley Field). Yes, some stuff like financials, attendance, etc... may end up with Atlanta while in reality they would go to Chicago. We try not to do this if there's a mutual off-day or another series to tag it on to.

Except the game is not Chicago at Atlanta, it is Atlanta at Chicago, but with Chicago batting first. If one checks Retrosheet's game logs for such games, they are listed with the 'HTBF' designation (home team bats first).* If I recall correctly, while home team may bat first, it is still counted as a home game for that team, and as an away game for the visiting team, even though it bats second, in MLB.com's statistics.

*The home team batting first used to happen with some frequency early in the 1900s, as back then the host club had the option to bat first or second. While most of the time they chose to bat second, in some instances batting first was selected. Note that the home team batting first should not be confused with games played at alternate/neutral sites, which are a different item.