MASSASOIT BABE RUTH BASEBALL

FOXBOROUGH * NORFOLK * PLAINVILLE * WRENTHAM

LOCAL RULES

SPRING 2013

 

The league has two divisions: 14-16 Year Old Division and a 13 Year Old Division.

April 30th is the cutoff date to determine age eligibility for each division.

 

League Directors are the founding towns of Norfolk, Wrentham, and Plainville

 

The League will follow all rules listed in the official Babe Ruth Rules and Regulations book and the official baseball rulebook except as modified below.

Sixteen year old players will not be covered by Babe Ruth Insurance and need to be insured Privately

 

Balk Rule Change:  note that effective this year, the rules of baseball no longer allow a pitcher who has a foot on the rubber to fake a throw to third base

PITCHING

*14-16 Year Old Division

A pitching week is defined as Monday through Sunday. No pitcher is allowed to throw more than seven innings in a week (including high school innings if appropriate.)

·         One pitch constitutes an inning.

·         If a pitcher throws three innings or less, he may pitch the next day. A pitcher who throws four or more innings must have three full days of rest (i.e.: If the pitcher throws more than three innings on Monday, cannot pitch again until Friday.)

·         The rest rule applies to high school innings as well (i.e.: If the pitcher throws more than three innings on Friday for his high school team he cannot pitch that weekend and must wait until Wednesday before he may pitch again.)

There are no balk warnings; balk rule is enforced from the 1st day of the regular season.

*13 Year Old Division

A pitching week is defined as Monday through Sunday. No pitcher is allowed to throw more than seven innings in a week.

·         One pitch constitutes an inning.

·         If a pitcher throws three innings or less, he may return the next day.

·         If a pitcher throws four innings, he must have three full days of rest.

·         If a pitcher throws five or more innings, he must have four full days of rest.

·         No pitcher may pitch three consecutive days

The 13 year old division, pitchers are allowed one warning on a balk before the balk rule is

enforced in all games prior to May 31. After that date, all balk rules are enforced.

All Divisions

Manager must keep pitching logs on all pitchers and record it in the scorebook when the pitcher has started and stopped.

A pitcher must be removed after the second trip during any inning by a manager and although he may stay in the game, he may not return to the mound.

A pitcher removed after the first trip in any inning by a manager may stay in the game, and may return to the mound.

Pitchers must accept all catcher signals with the pitcher's foot in contact with the pitching rubber.

OFFICIAL GAMES

An official game is 7 innings. All games must be played.

 

All games not played are treated as losses in determining final standings,

No new inning shall begin after two hours if another game is scheduled to start after game being played. Games with no game following should be completed.

 

All games shall revert to the score of the previously completed inning if cancelled due to weather or time limit.

 

Winning team receives two points

 

In the event of a tie, each team receives one point.

 

An official game is five innings. If the home team is ahead after 4 1/2 innings, this constitutes an official game. All games stopped due to darkness or weather and are not official shall be treated as a suspended game and shall be resumed from the point play has stopped.  Any new players not at the suspended game may play and will be inserted at the end of the lineup.  Original lineup must remeain the same.  Any players missing will be skipped in the lineup without penalty.

 

SLAUGHTER RULE

If a team is ahead by ten runs or more after completion of either the fifth (4 1/2  if the home team is leading) or sixth inning, the game is over.

ROSTER

A team roster must have a minimum of 11 and must not exceed 15 players.

 

A team must have a minimum of eight players in order to begin or continue playing a game.

A team must have a minimum of seven players from their own roster to play a game. In the regular season, a manager may select no more than two players from his division to complete a lineup, but in no instance shall the number of players exceed 9. No substitute player can play more innings than a rostered player.  In the 14-16 year old league players may be used from other teams in that division. For the prep division players may be selected for other prep teams or 12 year olds may be brought to play.  In the playoffs, all players must be on the official roster.

 

Roster changes due to injuries or someone moving into town may be made up until May 1st.

 

Rosters are official as of May 1st and must be forwarded to the League President on or before that date.

 

Borrowed players may not pitch and must bat at the end of the batting order.  Teams fielding 9 players from a roster may not add borrowed players.  Borrowed players are limited to one game per week.

LENGTH OF APPEARANCE IN GAME

All Divisions

Players arriving late to a game are allowed to play and must be inserted at the end of the batting order.

All teams shall use a continuous batting order and free substitution in the field is allowed.

 

A player must have a minimum of three innings in the field and one at bat. If any player fails to receive that in an official seven inning game (with the home team having its last at bat), the game shall be forfeited.

 

If a player is required to leave during the course of the game then his spot in the batting order is skipped over with no penalty to the team at bat providing the player’s manager advises the opposing team’s manager prior to his spot in the batting order being reached.

UMPIRES

Two patched umpires are required for each game. If only one umpire is present teams may agree to play, but the umpire must be at least 18 years old. No protest is allowed based on one umpire if game is agreed to be played.

 

13 Year Old Division: Umpires shall be at least 16 years old.

 

14-16 Year Old Division: At least one umpire shall be a minimum of 18 years old and that umpire shall be stationed behind the plate.

No one shall argue balls and strikes.

 

Managers may have a reasonable time to discuss plays in the field or rule interpretations.

Yelling, swearing or harassing umpires may result in ejection. A player ejected must leave the premesis, he must remain in the bench area if his parent/guardian is available. A manager or coach ejected must leave the premises.

 

A player may be ejected without a warning for throwing equipment or other objects.

 

Two ejections for a player or manager in the course of the season will result in the suspension of the individual for the remainder of the season including playoffs.

SLIDE RULE

Slide or avoid is in effect as rules by the game umpire. This should be reviewed before the game. A runner will be called out if in the umpire's opinion there should have been a slide on the play.

Any attempt to injure another player (lowering the shoulder, spikes high, etc) is an automatic ejection.

 

The catcher may not obstruct the runners path to home plate or block home plate unless the catcher is in posession of the baseball.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Courtesy runners will be allowed for injured players, the substitute runner shall be the player who made the last out.

There is no hidden ball in either division.

 

Metal spikes are prohibited in the 13 Year Old Division.

 

Metal spikes are permitted in 14-16 Year Old Division

Any Babe Ruth stamped baseball may be used as a game ball. (Wilson, Diamond, Rawlings, Etc.)

 

Traditional matching uniforms must be worn by players. No cut off shirts allowed. Shirts shall be tucked in.

 

There shall be no batting practice on the field.

At the conclusion of a team’s at bat the new pitcher shall immediately proceed to the mound and there shall be a player or coach behind the plate to warm up the pitcher.

 

The field shall be properly maintained in order to assure the safety of the players, coaches and spectators. Coaches/players/parents from both teams should be prepared to help get field ready.

A protest should be noted with umpire at the time of the event and both managers and the umpire shall sign the scorebook. The coach who is protesting should alert and review the issue with his towns BR league commissioner. If the league commissioner feels the protest is  warranted the town league commissioner should submit a short concise explanation of the protest to all town league commissioners for a vote.

14 - 16 year old division: head first slide is allowed

13 year old division: head first slite allowed only back to a bag

 

No slashing.

 

REVISED & APPROVED: February 2012 APPROVED: February 2012