Ongoing Regular Season?

They are scheduled regular season games. You can't just stop; people bought tickets for these games back in March.

Because that's how a regular season works. It isn't over until every team plays its full schedule.

I am curious. Do you know of any league (not tournament) in which teams stop playing as they are mathematically out of the championship race?

All the sports I can think of play out the whole thing no matter what.

Because the season hasn't finished yet. There a number of rain outs to make up. I know, your next question will be "Why don't they play them in September?" And there's really no answer for that.

It won't happen next year, as the CL will be introducing playoffs, so they'll finish the season earlier, like the PL does now.

For the same reason the majors still play when they already clinched.

Yeah, it seems useless to play anymore after the CL team and PL teams have already clinched, but it also has to do with the fact that the CL has no playoff system, and next year will be the first year they have a playoff system, so next year will be more like normal. Plus, there is still an obligation to finish the schedule, it wouldn't make much sense to cancel the rest of the games, when there is still a schedule to be obligated to. These are mainly for individual records.

I wish NPB had a tighter scheduling though. There are more off days in the schedule (usually one day a week) than the majors, less travel distance, and it's only a single time zone. What with all the domed stadiums now, there shouldn't be any reason to be playing meaningless regular season games this late in the year. (I actually would enjoy some creatively scheduled makeup doubleheaders, too.) Seems like NPB is entrenched in ancient thinking, but there used to be doubleheaders (I presume makeup games) in NPB.

And this would allow the dull blank period until the start of the Japan Series to be reduced. MLB does a great job in carrying over the pennant race momentum right into the playoffs then the World Series. Of course, it's well known that NPB has much to learn about marketing.

- For the same reason the majors still play when they already clinched.

Not entirely correct. Take this year for example. The Giants at Cards game, Monday October 3, which was a make up game on an account of a rain out, was not played because St. Louis clinched on the Sunday (Oct 2) after almost choking down the stretch to the fast finishing Astros.

The game was not required and therefore canceled.

- The Giants at Cards game, Monday October 3, which was a make up game on an account of a rain out, was not played because St. Louis clinched on the Sunday (Oct 2) after almost choking down the stretch to the fast finishing Astros.

I think you misunderstand what I wrote, or are just posting random comments. That game in question was a rain-out, and the only reason they had it on the schedule was because of the standings. The majors are no different in this situation.

86 - you wrote "Plus, there is still an obligation to finish the schedule, it wouldn't make much sense to cancel the rest of the games, when there is still a schedule to be obligated to. These are mainly for individual records."

Then where is the "obligation" to play the full 162 games in the MLB if the final Gaints/Cardinals game was canceled? So you see, it is different.

Simple enough?

Hmmm. In the 2000 Central League season [NPB-BIS], the top two teams played one less game each than the rest of the clubs. Was this a rain out game not being made up? But yeah, for the most part, it seems like all rain out dates are made up in NPB.

[Note by Moderator: I'm afraid you read that wrong. The Central League made up tied games back then (they also played to 15 innings - resulting in much fewer tied games). So each team had 135 games on their schedule, but the other 4 teams had 1 tie each that had to be made up.]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it only two years ago when NPB decided not to make up the two games lost for each team on the players' strike weekend (9/18-19 in 2004)? In that case, it was a big deal for the Pacific League as Lotte and Ham were battling for the third slot in the first-ever PL playoffs. And the Ham ended the season in front of Lotte by only 1/2 game.

However, in leagues on both sides of the Pacific it seems more the exception than the rule that games not be made up. Even in times where champions clinch their playoff spots very early.

- Stevie

- Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it only two years ago when NPB decided not to make up the two games lost for each team on the players' strike weekend (9/18-19 in 2004)?

Yes, the NPB decided not to make those games up when the players went on strike, though I don't recall the league ever having any intention to making them up. Also, at the time it was a big deal as Chiba Lotte only finished a half game back and those two games could of made a big difference.

Ah thanks. I didn't realize that CL was making up for tied games back then. The rules regarding ties and extra innings changes frequently enough to confuse me, heh.

For one, the CL starts later than the PL and finishes later than the PL.

For two, yeah, no league stops playing just when the winners are clinched.

For three, this is actually a great time for some rookies to get some game experience with the ni-gun season over - much like the September callups in the MLB after the AAA season ends. The Carp's pitcher with the unfortunate name Yuuki Saitoh is a good example of this.