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After the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays battled through an 18-inning colossus to decide Game 3 of the World Series, the argument of whether or not a ‘ghost runner’ should be permitted in the postseason has, believe it or not, come up. The “ghost runner” places an automatic runner on second base at the start of every extra inning in an effort to limit pitcher fatigue and shorten games. This rule is limited to solely regular season games and played an enormous part in Game 3’s length. After both teams felt their fair share of bullpen fatigue and all six hours and 39 minutes of Monday’s thriller, managers Dave Roberts and John Schneider were asked if the postseason should adopt the ghost runner rule moving forward. More news: Dodgers Could Make Big Change to Lineup Ahead of World Series Game 5 TORONTO, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 24: Managers John Schneider #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays and Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on before game one of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) “No. No,” Roberts said. “I think that it’s baseball in its truest form and part of winning a seven-game series is if there are games like that, then to have to go through the battle of attrition with pitching. It’s hard once you get into the extra innings to not play for one swing, which you saw both teams certainly doing. That’s a strategy in itself. We had our chance, a couple chances, and couldn’t come through. “So I do like the way it is, and also for the regular season the way it’s structured.” Schneider was less rigid in his response, though still noting that he is somewhat of a baseball traditionalist. “I don’t know. I would be in favor of the challenge system that’s being implemented next year,” Schneider said. “Ghost runner? I don’t know. I’m kind of a traditionalist when it comes to baseball. It’s kind of unique because that’s how you play for 162, and then that goes away. But with that, I think you got to structure your roster accordingly to try to handle some of those situations. “Yeah, I don’t know.” Despite taking part in both 18-inning games in the history of the World Series (and winning both), Roberts doesn’t want to see a change. Schneider, on the other hand, may be envisioning a world where a would-be ghost runner changed the outcome of Game 3. More news: Shohei Ohtani Passes Lou Gehrig to Make MLB History in World Series Game 4 For all the latest MLB news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
