Outs and runners drive baseball prices
Baseball has no game clock. The game is measured in outs: three per half-inning, 27 per side over nine innings. That makes the innings still to bat the heart of every live baseball price.
Sportsbooks often go further and price each of the 24 base-out states, from bases empty with nobody out to bases loaded with two outs. Our engine keeps it simpler: it tracks runners for the line score and the incidents, and prices the winner from the score, the strength of each lineup and the half-innings left.
- A completed half-inning removes part of the remaining scoring chance for the side that batted.
- A runner reaching base settles the next batter market and can lead to a run.
- A run scoring changes the score, the biggest move on the winner market.
- The inning sets how many chances each side still has left.
A one-run lead in the second inning means little. The same lead with two outs in the ninth means a lot.
Pricing a game without a clock
Because baseball runs on outs, our model-based pricing works from the remaining outs for each side rather than from minutes. From the score, the half-innings left and the strength of each lineup, it builds a distribution of the final margin and turns that into the winner price.
The same lineup strength sets the micro-markets. A stronger lineup has a higher chance that the next batter reaches base and a lower chance of a strikeout, and a higher chance of a run in its next half-inning.
Games run nine innings and go to extra innings when tied, so the winner price keeps moving until one side leads after a completed inning.
The engine recomputes each price every second and again on every plate appearance result.
Baseball micro-markets
Baseball splits cleanly into plate appearances and half-innings, so its micro-markets are easy to follow. Every baseball game in the engine offers these:
- Next batter reaches base, yes or no.
- Strikeout on the next plate appearance, yes or no.
- Run scored in the next half-inning, yes or no.
- Winner of the game.
Plate appearance markets are priced before the batter steps in, lock when the at-bat starts and settle at the end of it. The half-inning market locks with the first batter and settles yes at the first run, or no at the third out. Each new batter brings a fresh pair of markets.
These are the baseball windows produced by our micro-market engine, the same module licensed operators use to add plate appearance and half-inning markets to their own baseball coverage.
| Event | Effect on prices | Market status |
|---|---|---|
| Out recorded | Next batter market settles no | Open |
| Runner reaches base | Next batter market settles yes | Open |
| Run scores | Winner moves, half-inning run market settles yes | Micro-markets suspended for about six seconds, then reopened |
| Strikeout | Strikeout market settles yes | Open |
| Third out | Half-inning market settles, the next one is already open | Open |
Pauses during the play
The dangerous moment in baseball is the ball in play. A long fly ball can be a home run or an out, and the market cannot stay open while it is in the air.
The engine suspends micro-markets for about six seconds after a run scores, applies the new score and reopens at the recomputed price. Plate appearance markets lock when the at-bat starts and settle when its result is on the timeline.
Strikeouts and home runs are incidents of their own, and the line score fills in inning by inning, so every settlement can be checked against the record of the game.
Between half-innings the next run market is already open, so there is always a fresh question while the sides change over.
Call baseball for points
Baseball rewards patience in RealTimeBets Play. Every plate appearance is a fresh call, and a run in the next half-inning lets you back a rally before it starts. Choose a tile, back it with points and win at the multiplier shown when you called.
Play is a game for adults 18 and older. No money is wagered, points have no cash value and cannot be bought, transferred or exchanged, and there are no prizes.
Games listed on this page are in the engine now. For now they are replays of fictional teams, flagged "Replay", while games coming from the licensed data feed are flagged "Live". MLB is used only as the search phrase for live baseball prices; we do not claim official league data or a partnership.
A long summer evening of baseball is a good fit for a private league. The sports prediction app page explains Premium, leagues and the one-match demo.
Baseball odds for licensed operators
Baseball is a high-volume in-play sport for sportsbooks, because there are many games and every one of them produces hundreds of pitches. The baseball live odds API streams winner prices over REST and server-sent events streaming push, with the event data feed for score, line score by inning, incidents and lineups.
Starter covers three sports of your choice, including baseball, with 500,000 requests per month, two streaming connections and settlement webhooks signed with HMAC SHA-256. Growth adds micro-markets through the API for plate appearance and half-inning markets, and the risk engine with per-customer limits and sharp-flag scoring.
Production keys need a stored licence record and a paid plan. The sandbox key you receive at signup is delayed 60 seconds, covers one sport and 1,000 requests and lasts seven days.