This league shall be primarily governed by the “Official Rules of Little League Baseball,” as published by Williamsport, PA. The following exceptions and modifications to the existing rules have been generated and Board approved in the interest of safety, fair play, and more even competition. SEE NEW PITCHING RULES ATTACHED or at www.littleleague.org
I. Pre game and post game rules:
A. Home team duties and responsibilities (Home team listed first on the schedule.)
1. Uses the 1st base dugout
2. Has the field for practice from 6:10PM to 6:25PM (except Sat.)
3. Furnishes a new game ball
B. Visiting team duties and responsibilities
1. Uses the 3rd base dugout
2. Has the field for practice from 5:55PM to 6:10PM (except Sat.)
3. Furnishes a good back-up ball
C. Dual responsibilities
1. Any available practice time prior to 5:55PM will be shared equally.
2. All players, managers, coaches and equipment not directly involved in the game must remain in the dugout.
3. Batting orders and previous game pitchers and number of pitches thrown must be exchanged prior to every game.
4. There will not be any batting practice permitted within 1 hour before any game. There will be no exceptions.
5. There is no on-deck position in Little League. No batter may warm up outside the field of play during the game.
II. General rules and Avon Little League rules:
A. Managers will not be allowed to cancel any games. Any cancellations due to school functions or inclement weather will be decided by the Umpire-in-Chief. For a school function, the manager must contact the Umpire-in-Chief, 7 days before the assigned game, to request a change of schedule. In the case of inclement weather, the manager or assigned coach can call the Avon Little League hotline, at 934-1197, to find out about the field conditions and if their game has been cancelled. All make-up games must be rescheduled with the Umpire-in-Chief (Kurt Raicevich) and the VP of Baseball (Dan Santora).
B. A manager must request from the Minor League General Manager (Pat Collins) a Rookie League player to fill-out the 10-man roster. Rookie League call-ups will be obtained through the Minor League GM only, and be randomly drawn from a list of Rookie League players that have been nominated by their coach. A manager must request a new player every game. If 11 players show, you must play the player called up from the Rookie League a minimum of 3 innings. A player called up from Rookie League may not pitch. Players can be moved between the competing teams so that the game can still be played.
C. All teams must use a continuous batting order and all eligible players must be included in the batting rotation. If play has started and a player shows up late, he/she will assume the last position in the original batting order; see Rule 4.04 in the Little League Handbook.
D. Teams will have 10 defensive players maximum, including 4 outfielders, and they all must assume normal defensive positions. Outfielders must be midway between the infield and the outfield fence.
E. Each member of the team eligible to play must not sit out for more than 2 defensive innings and must play 1 of the 6 infield positions at least 1 inning per game (the visiting team must comply with this rule by the end of the 5th inning). No position player can play 1 position for more than 3 innings per game. A pitcher may pitch an entire game provided he remains under the maximum allowable pitches according to the pitch count rules.
F. Defensive players may not be moved during an inning except for a pitching change, injury or other emergency.
G. Players are NOT permitted to Steal Home. All runs must be earned. Stealing 2nd or 3rd base is allowed for the entire game. There will not be extra bases allowed on errors or overthrows during stealing only. Players may not steal home, even on a passed ball through the catcher or return throw to the pitcher. The stationary runner at third must return to 3rd base on any pick-off attempt and can not go home.
H. A pitched ball must pass the plate before the runner(s) can leave the base. If a runner is attempting to steal 2nd base and an error occurs while attempting to throw the runner out, the runner may NOT advance to 3rd base. If a runner is attempting to steal 3rd and an error occurs, the runner may NOT advance to home plate. In a 1st and 3rd situation, if a runner is attempting to steal 2nd base and an error occurs, both runners on 2nd and 3rd base MAY NOT ADVANCE.
I. No more than 3 adults will be allowed to represent the team in the dugout. An adult must be used in each of the coaching boxes during the game. Managers and coaches may confer with the pitcher and catcher only.
J. The Slide or Give-Up rule is in effect. Base runners must “slide or give up” at all bases (except 1st) and home plate on all close plays. Review the rules with the umpires, coaches, and players before every game.
K. Avon Little League adheres to the strict discipline of the pitching and catching rules with regard to the number of pitches thrown per player during a game and the mandatory rest days. Please read and understand the pitching rules adopted by Little League. The pitching rules will not change in any week containing a make-up game or games. The pitching rules will not change for the league tournaments.
L. The number of pitches thrown per player will be tracked by each team and compared with the base umpire after every inning. After any two- (2) consecutive 10 or 11-yr-old pitching appearances, 9-yr-old(s) must pitch at least 3 outs or 5 runs.
M. There is a 5 run limit per team, per inning, including the last inning. No Inning shall begin after 1 hour and 50 minutes from the start of the game.
N. Speed up rule: Teams may use a courtesy runner for the catcher of the previous inning. The runner must be the last batter to be put out. This substitution must occur before the next batter’s at-bat is completed. The catcher must immediately put his catching gear on in the dug-out.
III. Final notes:
A. Profanity or abusive language of any kind will not be permitted from any player, manager, coach, parent, etc. Violators will be banished from the field or ballpark and violating players will be benched and may be suspended if necessary. At the discretion of the manager and the approval of the VP of Baseball, a player, manager, or coach may be suspended for disciplinary reasons for one game. If this occurs a second time, the Board of Directors shall review the player, manager, or coach, for possible expulsion from the league. All league officials can recommend disciplinary action to the Board for all off field violations by players, managers, coaches, etc. while on Little League property at any time!