A game that has been stopped prior to completion due to weather or other circumstances, and is to be completed at a later date. Under current rules, there are a number of situations in which a stopped game can become a suspended game, including:
- A game which has gone far enough to be an official game, and that is stopped with a tie score. (This replaced a long-standing rule that required that games ending in a tie score be replayed in their entirety.)
- A game which has gone far enough to be an official game, and in which the visiting team has taken the lead in the top of an inning, the home team's time at bat in the inning is not complete, and the home team has not re-taken the lead.
- A game that is stopped due to failure of equipment in the home team's ballpark, such as tarpaulins, lights, retractable roof, etc.
- A game that is stopped for reasons such as natural disaster or civil disorder.
- The resumption of a protested game is treated the same as a suspended game, at the point of protest.
When a suspended game is resumed, the game continues as if the suspension did not occur. The inning, number of outs, batting order, runners on bases, count, etc, are all exactly as they were when the game was stopped. However, before the resumption of the game, the teams may make any legal substitutions they desire. Included in this is that the pitcher may be substituted, even if the pitcher did not fulfill the three-batter rule before the game was suspended.
The game statistics are recorded as all having occurred on the original date of the game, which can result in some confusing anomalies in player and team statistics. Over the interval between the suspension of the game and its resumption, the teams may have made roster moves. Any player who is on the roster at the time of resumption of the game may appear in the game, even if they took the place on the roster of a player who had already been removed from the game prior to the suspension.