What is the Banana Ball showdown tiebreaker?
A game tied when the two hours are up goes to a showdown tiebreaker; the hitter must come around to score for a point, and an out earns nothing (a "Showdown Shutdown").
The details
- Round 1: pitcher, catcher and one fielder against one hitter.
- Round 2: pitcher and catcher against one hitter.
- Round 3 and later: pitcher, catcher and one fielder against one hitter with the bases loaded, every run counting as a point; rounds continue this way until there is a winner.
- A home run over the outfield wall at any point ends the game as a walk-off.
By the numbers
26 of 517 games with box scores were decided with showdown tiebreaker points. Examples: Oct 3, 2026, Oct 4, 2026, Oct 10, 2026.
Calculated by NanaBall from official box scores.
How this rule changed
- 2023 changed: Mid-season clarification: if three showdown rounds do not settle it, bases-loaded rounds with one fielder continue until someone wins (graphic swapped between March and June 2023). [1][2]
- 2023 changed: Showdown rebuilt into three rounds (fielder, no fielder, bases loaded with every run counting), outs called Showdown Shutdowns, and a home run over the wall ends the game. [1][2]
- 2021 changed: Showdown went from pitcher and catcher only to pitcher, catcher and one fielder (between 24 Jun and 10 Jul 2021). [1][2]
![[1]](https://web.archive.org/web/20230325230919/https://thesavannahbananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/MicrosoftTeams-image-10-scaled.jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](https://web.archive.org/web/20230823022858/https://thesavannahbananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/MicrosoftTeams-image-3-791x1024.jpg){kind=link}
![[1]](https://web.archive.org/web/20220519170735/https://thesavannahbananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Final-BB-Rules-scaled.jpg){kind=link}
| Season | How the rule read |
|---|---|
| 2026 | A game tied when the two hours are up goes to a showdown tiebreaker; the hitter must come around to score for a point, and an out earns nothing (a "Showdown Shutdown"). |
| 2025 | A game tied when the two hours are up goes to a showdown tiebreaker; the hitter must come around to score for a point, and an out earns nothing (a "Showdown Shutdown"). |
| 2024 | A game tied when the two hours are up goes to a showdown tiebreaker; the hitter must come around to score for a point, and an out earns nothing (a "Showdown Shutdown"). |
| 2023 | A game tied at the end of the time limit goes to a showdown tiebreaker; the hitter must come around to score for a point, and an out earns nothing (a "Showdown Shutdown"). |
| 2022 | Each team picks one pitcher and one hitter; the defence fields only a pitcher, catcher and one fielder, and the hitter must score on a ball in play to earn a point. |
| 2021 | Each team picks one pitcher and one hitter; the defence fields only a pitcher, catcher and one fielder, and the hitter must score on a ball in play to earn a point. |
| 2020 | Each team picks one pitcher and one hitter for a one-on-one showdown; the defence fields only a pitcher and catcher, and the hitter must score on a ball in play to earn a point. |
Sources: 2026; 2025; 2024; 2023. Summaries written by NanaBall.