Baseball Darts: Nine Innings of Chaos
Bottom of the ninth, down two runs, and everything comes down to three darts aimed at one skinny slice of the board. Baseball darts borrows the best thing about baseball — the late-inning rally — and hangs it on the number 9.
Baseball darts maps nine innings onto the dartboard's numbers 1 through 9. It's simple to learn, works for any number of players, and every turn has a clear target. It isn't the only sport transplanted onto a board either — rugby darts trades innings for tries, conversions, and drop goals.
The Basic Rules
The game lasts nine innings. In the first inning everyone throws three darts at the number 1; in the second inning, at the number 2; and so on up to 9.
Only darts in the current inning's number count. A single scores one run, a double scores two runs, and a treble scores three runs.
Each player's runs are tallied inning by inning, usually on a chalkboard grid. Highest total after nine innings wins.
Extra Innings
If the game's tied after nine, play extra innings on 10, 11, and so on until someone leads after a complete inning. It's the tiebreaker everyone already understands.
Scoring Example
Say it's the fourth inning and you hit single 4, treble 4, and a miss. That's four runs for the inning — a strong frame, since three darts max out at nine.
A perfect game — treble on every dart, every inning — would be 81 runs. Nobody throws that, which is what makes 40-plus a bragging-rights score.
Strategy Tips
Aim Trebles, Accept Singles
The treble bed is the whole game. Aim every dart at the treble, and let the fat single catch your misses.
That's the same discipline countdown players use on treble 20, and the drills in how to accurately throw darts apply directly here.
Know the Hard Innings
Innings on low numbers flanked by big ones — like 1, sandwiched between 20 and 18 — punish wild darts with zeros that look silly on the scoreboard. Slow down on those frames.
A blown inning can't be replayed. Consistency across nine frames beats one monster inning almost every time.
Common Variations
- Seventh-inning stretch: any player who scores zero in the seventh has their total cut in half.
- Bullseye ninth: the ninth inning targets the bull instead of the 9.
- Team baseball: players pair up and alternate innings, adding their runs together.
Many electronic dartboards include baseball as a built-in mode and handle the scoring for you.
- 40 games and 315 variations keep league nights and family play fresh
- Tournament-quality target with automatic scoring takes the math out of the game
- Popular Cricket modes are built in for the formats players actually ask for
How many people can play?
Any number — it's a turn-based race against the scoreboard, not a head-to-head blockers' game. Big groups just need a bigger chalk grid.
Is baseball darts good for beginners?
Very — the target is always announced, there's no subtraction math, and every ring on the number scores something. It's a friendlier first game than cricket darts, which you can graduate to next.
Chalk nine innings, call your number, and make the ninth one count.