What is a Doubleheader? Definition and Examples
A doubleheader is two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day, usually scheduled back-to-back to make up a postponed game.
What is a Doubleheader in Baseball?
A doubleheader is two games between the same two teams played on the same day at the same ballpark. The second game begins roughly 30 to 45 minutes after the first ends. Doubleheaders exist almost entirely to make up games lost to rain, snow, or other postponements — MLB's 162-game schedule leaves almost no open dates, so stacking two games into one day is the cleanest way to keep the schedule on track. Teams, broadcasters, and scorekeepers abbreviate it as "DH," not to be confused with the designated hitter.
How Doubleheaders Are Scheduled
There are two formats. A traditional doubleheader is scheduled in advance with one ticket covering both games — these are rare in modern MLB. A split (day-night) doubleheader treats the two games as separate events with separate tickets, allowing the team to collect two gates; this is now the standard for makeup games.
Key rules that govern doubleheaders:
- Roster expansion: For doubleheaders, clubs add a 27th man to the active roster for that day only. This extra player is usually a spot-starting pitcher or fresh reliever.
- Seven-inning games (2020–2021 only): During the pandemic-shortened seasons, doubleheader games were shortened to seven innings. MLB reverted to nine innings in 2022, so all current doubleheader games are full length.
- Suspended-game resumption: If a game is suspended rather than postponed, it resumes from the exact point of stoppage before the regularly scheduled game, which can create a de facto doubleheader.
Worked Example: The 2023 Mets
The 2023 New York Mets played nine doubleheaders, the most in baseball that season, after a brutal stretch of April rainouts at Citi Field. On September 11, 2023, they played a day-night doubleheader against the Washington Nationals, using their 27th-man spot to call up a starter for Game 2. Across a doubleheader day, a team routinely uses 8 to 12 pitchers, which is why managers treat the second game's bullpen plan as a chess problem — a manager who burns his closer in a Game 1 blowout has nothing left for a tight Game 2.
Why Doubleheaders Matter
- Fantasy baseball: A hitter whose team plays a doubleheader gets two games of plate appearances in one scoring day — a genuine edge in daily fantasy and head-to-head playoffs. Stream the 27th-man starter against tired lineups.
- Betting: Game 2 lineups frequently rest regulars who played Game 1. Sharp bettors wait for Game 2 lineups before betting.
- Front offices: Doubleheader density shapes pitching depth decisions. A team facing three doubleheaders in two weeks needs six viable starters, not five.
Limitations and Misconceptions
A doubleheader is not the same as a day game followed by a night game against different opponents — it must be the same two teams. Also, statistics from both games count fully; there is no dilution. And despite the nickname "twin bill," the games are scored independently: a team can win Game 1 by 10 and lose Game 2 by 1, and the standings record one win and one loss.
Related Terms
In Legends Deck: Doubleheader scheduling stress is baked into our season simulation — teams with shallow rotations see their fourth and fifth starters' cards degrade faster over a 162-game grind, so building pitching depth matters as much as collecting aces.