In baseball, what does "rubber game" mean and where did the saying come from?

Answer 1

The term "rubber match" or "rubber game" can refer to the deciding game of a series of any length, not just three games. Game Seven of a World Series is an example. The term was borrowed from the card game bridge. In bridge, when the two sides have split the first two games, the third and deciding game has always been called the rubber game. The translation to baseball was easy, since most regular-season series are three games long.

Answer 2

It's when a series (during the regular season or playoffs) is tied after a certain number of games, and this game (the rubber game) decides the winner of the series.

For example, any Game 7 in the ALCS, NLCS, or World Series is a rubber game because whoever wins that game wins the series. In the division series, any Game 5 is a rubber game.

As for the origin of the phrase, I believe it's called the "rubber game" because rubber can bend either way, just like the series.

Answer 3

In a 3 game series, if each team wins 1 of the 1st 2 games, the 3rd game is called the Rubber game. I don't know why, or where the saying came from, I've just always heard it referred to that way.

Answer 4

Most regular season series are three games; a "rubber game" is a tiebreaker, if the first two games have been split. The etymology of the term is uncertain, but it has been used in card games, particularly bridge, for a long, long time (over a century), and appears to have migrated from there to baseball.

Answer 5

Now, God has already admitted having hardship with time administration. You keep in mind that line, "1000 years is as an afternoon" and vice-versa? Yeah. Heaven's in a unusual time zone.