Overview
A called game occurs when the umpire crew determines that conditions such as rain, snow, darkness, or lighting failure prevent continuation. In NPB, a game becomes official after the completion of five innings (or four and a half if the home team leads), while games stopped earlier are declared no-games. The spread of domed stadiums has reduced rain-called games, though they still occur at outdoor parks. High school baseball applies mercy-rule called games (10-run lead after seven innings, 15-run lead after five), but NPB has no such run-differential rule. In a called game, the score at the time of stoppage becomes final, sometimes producing unfortunate outcomes for teams mounting a comeback.