A lot of times in baseball, the match-ups are one sided. One team has an ace pitcher on the mound while the other one has a gas can that is going to give up some major runs. You can’t pick a side on the total because one side is definitely going to score some runs while the other might get shut out. What do you do?
Simple, bet the team over/unders. The rules of over/unders are the same, but reserved to one team. So if Clayton Kershaw is facing the Rays, you can take the under on the Rays and the Rays alone. It’s beautiful really.
In this article we are going to break down the ins and outs of team over/unders. I’m going to break down how the work, where you can bet them online, how to bet them and my own strategy for picking winners.
Where To Bet MLB Team Over/Unders:
America: Bovada offers a great selection of MLB betting options including team over/unders as well as a large selection of game props like total team hits, total runs and total errors over/under bets.
Canada: You can find MLB team over/unders for every game of the MLB season at Bodog. There are multiple betting options on each game including runlines, moneylines, and individual team over/unders.
Everywhere Else: One of the top sportsbooks to bet baseball is 888. They offer team over/unders as well as total runs odd/even which is a popular play. They offer this on every game throughout the MLB season and playoffs.
What are MLB Team Over/Unders?
MLB Team Over/Unders are when you bet on the total number of runs that a single team will score in any given game.
For example, let’s say the Red Sox are facing the Rays with David Price on the mound. The over/under for the Rays might be 3 runs. If you were interested in that line, you would pick whether you think they would score over three or under three. If it lands exactly on three, that would be a push and your money would be refunded.
Again, these are bets on just one team’s score so you don’t need to concern yourself with what the other team is doing. Although when a game is tied, you are guaranteed to see another run scored so that can often help in extra innings when you are a run or two short. Root for the opposing team to tie it up to keep your bet alive.
What is the record for most runs in a single MLB game?
Since 1900, there have been four teams to score 29 or more runs in a single game.
The first time came in 1950 when the Boston Red Sox scored 29 runs against the St. Louis Browns. Boston had a huge second inning with eight runs scored which was the start of it all. The big star of this game was Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr who ended up with three homeruns and eight runs batted in for the game. Two other Red Sox players would hit two homeruns in the game, Walt Dropo and Ted Williams.
The feat was matched in 1955 when the White Sox scored 29 against the Kansas City Athletics. A ton of players hit homeruns in this one, but the real star of the game was Bob Nieman who homered twice and drove in seven.
It would be another 65 years before a team scored 29 runs in a game again when the Braves did it against the Marlins in 2020. Adam Duvall had a big game with three home runs and nine RBIs. The amazing thing about that is that Duvall actually hit three homeruns eight days prior. The Braves as a team would slug seven homeruns in this game.
The biggest run scoring game came in 2007 when the Texas Rangers scored 30 runs against the Baltimore Orioles. The craziest thing about this one isn’t the amount of runs scored, but that the Rangers were scoreless through the first three innings! Not only did the Rangers set the record for runs in a game, but they did it in just six innings. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ramon Vazquez had huge games with each hitting two homeruns and driving in seven runs.
Common MLB Team Over/Under Questions:
Does it matter if a game goes to extra innings?
To you, it does. To the sportsbook and the bet you are making, it doesn’t.
Meaning that the final score is the final score no matter how many extra innings are played. If the game goes over three runs, it doesn’t matter if you played 9 or 19 innings.
Aren’t MLB Team Over/Unders based on total wins?
A team’s win total is sometimes called a team over/under. These are a total number of wins for the entire season. For instance, the Yankees might have a total of 96.5 and an over bet on that would be saying they will finish the season with 97 or more wins. If this is what you’re looking for, check out MLB Win Totals.
How To Bet MLB Team Over/Unders:
The way to bet MLB Team Over/Unders is the same at all the sportsbook we listed. Go to your preferred book and find the game. There will be a button that says, for example, “+24 bets” or “+24”. Click on that and you will be taken to the more in-depth betting options for that particular game including team over/unders.
MLB Team Over/Unders Betting Strategy:
Like most things in baseball, you want to look at the pitching. A guy with a higher ERA is not likely to last deep into the game and will get to the bullpen earlier. That can mean more runs. We’re looking for good offenses against bad pitchers that can chase them early and get to the weaker part of the bullpen. That’s when big runs happen and teams can take care of an over early. You don’t want to get into a situation where you are hoping for 8th and 9th inning runs to take you over the top.
Meanwhile, a stud starter like Max Scherzer might be more likely to go deep and only need an inning or two from his bullpen. That helps as the pitchers who cover those late innings are typically the best on the roster and less likely to allow runs.