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All play shall be governed by
the 2010 Little League Baseball Official Regulations and
Playing Rules for regular season
play, unless otherwise amended under the following "Rules of
Play" listed below:
HOLDEN BASEBALL INVITATIONAL SUMMER TOURNAMENT "RULES OF
PLAY"
1. SPORTSMANSHIP
The Tournament objective is to provide the children an
opportunity to compete in a tournament atmosphere and to
allow them to extend their baseball seasons beyond their
short league schedules. Everything we do, throughout the
entire Tournament, should be done with the Tournament
objective in mind. Winning the tournament should be
secondary to the thrill of participation and the lessons of
sportsmanship.
2. GOVERNING BODY
The Tournament Committee has set forth the "Rules of Play"
and will be the sole judge of rule disputes. During the
course of each game, the umpire-in-chief shall have absolute
discretion for rule interpretations and judgment calls. We
strongly enforce the principal of disputes with umpires
over calls of balls or strikes, fair or foul, and out or
safe are impermissible. Only the Team Manager may calmly
speak with the umpire, and, even then, it should be limited
to rule interpretations and/or clarifications. Any serious
disputes about rule interpretations, that are not settled
through a brief and civil discussion with the
umpire-in-chief, can be considered after the game by the
Tournament Director and Committee, if a proper protest is made during the
game and followed-up in writing (email preferred) to the Tournament Director
within 24-hours of the game’s end.
3. TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Teams in each "division" (i.e.: Minors and Majors) will be split into two "leagues"
(i.e.: American and National). Each team is scheduled to
play five games in a round-robin format. The Tournament
Committee, in its discretion, may reduce that number if
inclement weather limits the possibility of make-up games
during the Tournament. Every effort will be made to
reschedule rainouts, but limited field availability may
preclude make-ups. Teams must be available to play on
non-scheduled game days, if weather necessitates a make-up
game (note: no games, including make-ups, will be scheduled on July 4th).
Upon conclusion of the round-robin games, the two teams in
each "league" with the best winning percentage* will
participate in the Semi-final games, with the winners
meeting for the Tournament Championship. For qualification
into the Semi-final round, or seeding within Semi-final play,
ties in winning percentage will be broken as follows (in
order until the tie is broken):
A)
Head-to-head
competition;
B) Run differential, with differential limited
to 5 runs per game;
C)
Total least runs allowed in all games (runs allowed are not
limited to a differential of 5 per game);
D)
4 inning playoff, followed by extra-innings if required (no
time limit). Home team in this tie-breaker will be
decided by coin-flip.
* Note: in calculating winning percentage, a tie shall count
as one point and a win as two points. Winning percentage
shall be the total number of points earned divided by the
total number of points possible.
Please note, teams are required to play all scheduled and
make-up games. Forfeits for "no-shows" (due to other
scheduling conflicts) will exclude a team from advancing to
and participating in the Tournament Semi-final/Championship
games. Also, if a team forfeits a game, all opponent
records vs. the forfeiting team shall not be included in the
round-robin winning percentage format.
4. LENGTH OF GAME
A. Games will consist of 6 innings, unless amended below.
B.
A 1-hour and 45-minute time limit will apply to
round-robin games....meaning, no new inning may begin more than1-hour and
45-minutes after the start of the game. The umpire(s)
are responsible for enforcing the time limit. Prior to
the game's first pitch, the umpire will communicate the time
on his/her watch or cell phone and ask that it be recorded
on each Manager's scorebook. The umpire will strictly
adhere to the time limit...meaning, if the final out an inning
occurs at the 1-hour and 46-minute mark, no new inning may
begin and the game is declared over. Please
understand, we limit game times as a courtesy to teams
playing later in the day...with a full schedule on Saturday
and Sunday, we have limited time to compensate for delays
and don't want teams arriving at the fields to discover the
games are
significantly behind schedule. Also, we institute the time
limit for all
round-robin games, so all rules are applied equally to all
games.
C.
Round-robin games tied after 6 innings or after the
time limit will be recorded as a tie. All Semi-final
and Championship games will be played to conclusion (i.e.:
tied Semi-final and Championship games will proceed to extra
innings).
D.
Teams must be ready to begin games on time, even if
that means there is no time for warm-ups on
the field.
E.
Rule 4.10 (e) (the “Mercy Rule” - one team leads by
10 runs or more) is in effect on a modified basis
by changing “four innings” (as used in the rule) to “five
innings” and by changing “three and one-half innings” to
“four and one-half innings".
5. "FIVE RUN RULE"
- MINOR LEAGUE DIVISION ONLY
A "five run
rule" will be applied to the first three innings of games in
the Minor League division...meaning, no more than five
runs shall be scored
in
any half-inning within the first three innings of the game.
If a team scores five runs prior to three defensive outs,
the half-inning is deemed complete. There are no
limits, except where mercy rules apply, to the number of
runs scored in the fourth and all later innings.
6. PLAYERS IN UNIFORM/SUBSTITUTIONS/BATTING ORDER
A. Only players listed on the Team Roster, supplied to the
Tournament Director, may participate in a game. Players who
have participated as rostered members of a Little League
Majors level team during the 2010 season are ineligible in
the Minor League division. Players selected for their
league’s District All-star team (whether or not they
accepted the invitation) are ineligible to participate in
this Tournament (at any level). Use of an ineligible player
may be grounds for forfeit and/or disqualification from the
Tournament.
Note: All league age 12-year-olds may only participate in
the Little League Majors division....league age 12-year-olds
may not participate in the Minors division of the
Tournament, even if he/she participated in the Minors
division in his/her hometown league during 2010 (no
exceptions will be permitted).
B.
A minimum of eight (8) players in attendance
at the start of scheduled game time is required. Any
team with seven (7) players or less will lose by forfeit.
As noted above,
forfeits
will exclude a team from advancing to and participating in
the Tournament Semi-final/Championship games. Also, if
a team forfeits a game, all opponent records vs. the
forfeiting team shall not be included in the round-robin
winning percentage format.
C. Regular season
minimum participation rules apply.
D.
The batting order will consist of all players present
(continuous batting order), regardless of defensive
position. The batting order, once given to the
opposing Manager, may not be changed, except to delete an
ill or injured player (who may not return) or to add (to the
bottom of the order) a late-arriving player. Batting
order exchanges with the opposing Manager must, at a
minimum, include a player's first and last name and uniform
number.
7. BATTERS
AND BASERUNNERS
A.
Players may not handle or swing a bat in or around the
dugout area (no "on-deck" batter is permitted).
B.
No "slash bunts" are permitted...meaning, a batter may not
take a full swing after showing a bunt.
For an infraction of this rule, the batter will be declared
out and any base runners may not advance.
C. Baserunners
must slide feet first into an advancing base or avoid
contact on plays if the defensive player has a play on the
runner. If no contact is made between the base runner and
the defensive player, this is considered avoiding the
defensive player, even if there is a play on the runner.
This call is at the umpire’s discretion.
8. PITCHING
A.
Regular season pitching eligibility rules will be in
effect.
B. Maximum pitches per day:
- League 11-and-12 year-old players may not pitch more than
85 pitches per day.
- League 9-and-10 year-old players may not pitch more than
75 pitches per day.
- League 8-year-old and under players may not pitch more
than 50 pitches per day.
Exception to the above maximum pitches per day: If a
pitcher reaches the limit imposed for his/her league age
while facing a batter,
the pitcher may
continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions
occurs: 1. That batter reaches base; 2. That batter is put
out; 3. The third out is made to complete the half-inning.
C. Required rest periods:
- If a player pitches 66 or more pitches in a day, four (4)
calendar days of rest must be observed.
- If a player pitches 51 - 65 pitches in a day, three (3)
calendar days of rest must be observed.
- If a player pitches 36 - 50 pitches in a day, two (2)
calendar days of rest must be observed.
- If a player pitches 21 - 35 pitches in a day, one (1)
calendar day of rest must be observed.
- If a player pitches 1 - 20 pitches in a day, no calendar
day of rest is required before pitching again.
Note to required rest periods: A calendar day is one full
day as it is seen on a calendar. A calendar day begins at
midnight following the game and ends at midnight the following evening.
D. A pitcher who delivers 41 or more pitches in a game
cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of
that day.
E.
A
player, who has played the position of catcher in any part
of four innings during the game, may not assume the position
of pitcher at any time during that calendar day.
F. Intentional walks: The “automatic” intentional walk is
not allowed. If a pitcher wishes to intentionally
walk a batter, he/she must do so by pitching four pitches
intentionally outside the strike zone that are not struck at
by the batter, and are called “balls” by the umpire. All
such pitches will count in determining that pitcher’s pitch
count.
G.
Balk: A balk, or illegal pitch, whether or not a pitch is
actually delivered to a batter, counts as a pitch in
determining the pitch count for that pitcher. A balk
shall be registered as a ball to the batter's count.
H. Each Manager, must file a
complete "pitching record" after each
game (pitching records can be obtained from
the Snack Shack). Pitching records, at a minimum, must
include all of the game pitcher's name(s), uniform number(s)
and number of pitches delivered. It is up to the Managers, not the
Tournament Committee, to enforce the pitching eligibility
rules. Violations may result in forfeit or
disqualification.
I.
A Manager/Coach is allowed one visit to the mound per
inning. The second visit in the same inning will require replacing the pitcher.
If a Manager/Coach visits the mound for a third time during
the game, the
pitcher must be removed. All mound visitation counts
are reset when a new pitcher enters the game.
J.
Managers and Coaches are not allowed to cross the foul line
between innings. If they cross the foul line between
innings, it will be considered a trip to the mound during
their defensive half inning. Managers can ask umpire
permission to fix the pitcher's mound between innings, however,
no coaching shall be permitted during repairs.
9. COACHES
A.
No more than three adults are permitted in the dugout area at any
time (clarification: a score book keeper in the dugout is
considered a coach and shall count towards the number of
permitted coaches allowed). All Players, Managers and Coaches must remain
behind the screened area of the dugout, unless batting,
baserunning or acting as a base coach. Only the team's
Manager may converse with an umpire....however, before doing
so, please review Rule No. 2 above.
B.
Two adult base coaches are permitted, but players (with
helmets) may coach the bases as well.
10. OFFICIAL SCORING
There will be no official scorer for round-robin games.
Each team should keep a score book and check the score with
the opposing team between innings, including pitch counts.
11. GAME BALLS
Holden Baseball will attempt to supply three (3) Little
League approved baseballs for each game.
The home team, however, shall have three (3) Little
League approved baseballs in their possession and supply
them for that game if three (3) baseballs from Holden are
unavailable to umpires at game time. Holden Baseball
will replace any a team's three (3) baseballs used in a
game...please see the Tournament Director.
12. SAFETY
Holden Baseball strictly adheres to Little League safety
rules. Players may not handle or swing a bat in or around
the dugout. Please be careful when warming-up around
spectators. Any pitcher warming-up off the field and during a
game must be supervised by a Coach. The safest area for
warming-up a pitcher is in the fenced-in pitching bullpen
(note: catchers warming-up pitchers must wear full
protective gear, including a catchers helmet/face shield...also,
coaches may not warm-up pitchers by means of acting like a
catcher).
13. BATTING CAGE(S)
There are batting cages available for use prior to
games. During batting practice, all pitchers must pitch
from behind the L-screen. The visiting team has priority to
the cages from 45-minutes to 30-minutes before the game. The
home team has priority to the cages from 30-minutes to
15-minutes before the game. Teams should be on the field
for brief warm-up 15-minutes before game time. If
15-minutes are not available, warm-ups should take place on
the dirt areas behind the left field fence of the front
field (A Field), but be very careful with spectators passing by.
14. DUGOUTS
The home team should occupy the first base side dugout and
the visiting team should occupy the third base side dugout.
We ask for your assistance in removing all trash from the dugout after every game
(especially discarded gum and drink bottles)....this is a
courtesy to the team occupying the dugout after your game.
15. "PITCHING AND SCORING SUMMARY" SHEETS
Each Manager should complete and sign a "Pitching and
Scoring Summary" sheet after every game.
"Pitching and Scoring Summary" sheets are available at the
Snack Shack (ask for the appropriate 3-ring binder for your
division/level). At a minimum, "Pitching and
Scoring Summary" sheets should include team names, final
score, date/time/field, all pitching information (i.e.: game
pitcher's name(s), uniform number(s) and number of pitches
delivered).
16. SCOREBOARDS
The home team shall be responsible for enlisting an adult
volunteer to operate the scoreboard during round-robin games. No
children under age of 13 may enter the front field scorer’s
booth at any time (it is the responsibility of the home team
Manager to enforce this rule). Only an approved Holden
Baseball representative may operate the sound system.
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