Qualifying for batting average: do extra games count?

Sunday, August 19, 2012 Melky Cabrera: should his stats be purged and his team's wins vacated?

Melky Cabrera was suspended 50 games by the Major Baseball League (MBL) but there's unexpected good news: Melky is eligible to lead his conference in average categories including the granddaddy that still overly impresses traditionalists: batting average.  Currently, Andrew McCutchen leads with .356 to Melky's  .346 (159/460 = .34565217391 including one more AB to reach 502 PA) but thanks to his suspension Melky's batting average is frozen.

The 502 PA are derived from 3.1 PA for 162 games.  Starting in 1967 if a player has fewer PA than needed At Bats (AB) may be added to reach the required number of PA to determine if the player would still lead.  That actually happened with Tony Gwynn in 1996.

I began wondering.  If Melky's Giants play more than 162 games does that put Melky in further jeopardy?  Would another 3.1 AB be added for each additional game?

I checked some sources:

Baseball Reference:  What are the minimum requirements to lead a Rate Stat?

From 1957 to the present, a player must have 3.1 plate appearances per team game.

Wikipedia: Qualifications for the batting title

1957 to the present – A player has needed 3.1 plate appearances per team game originally scheduled

See the issue?  Is it per game played or scheduled?  Before the Major Baseball League (MBL) began devaluing itself by insisting that all games be played to a conclusion despite weather conditions there were tie games, which could cause a team to play more than 162 games.  I attended a 19 inning 3-3 tie at Yankee Stadium Friday, August 23, 1968 against Detroit.  It was the second game of a twi-night doubleheader.

Play-in games can also add to the regular season.  If Melky's Giants are one of the two wild card teams, the Giants would play one more game.  And what if the Giants tie for a wild card?  The MBL wants to settle such ties on the field with yet another game.  That could be TWO more games played. Would that mean 2*3.1 = 6.2 more AB needed for Melky to qualify?  And you know that the MBL will use any excuse to disqualify Melky and save itself embarrassment among the tight ass traditionalists.

 Let's say that the MBL adds six more AB to Melky's total.  That's seven more make believe AB added all together.  159/466 = .34120171673.  That drops Melky FIVE points, down from .346.  Now we're talking about some serious damage to Melky's chances to lead the National Conference in batting average and cause much deserved embarrassment to the MBL establishment and its sycophantic media enablers.

Go Melky!