100. Finance Injuries Involving Blood

Transcription

1 The Greater Birmingham Baseball Association (GBBA) is dedicated to promoting good sportsmanship and fair play. It provides a recreational baseball outlet for youth, regardless of sex, color, religion or race, with emphasis being on tournament play. Tournaments are held each year for parks affiliated with The GBBA. Post Season teams shall be selected only from affiliated park league players that participated in affiliated park league play. The Official Rules of Major League Baseball shall be the basic set of rules for The GBBA however, The GBBA rules, as set forth in this Rule Book shall govern in the event of conflict. There may be a need for additional rules or for a modification or clarification of existing rules set out in this Rule Book after the issuance of this Rule Book. Therefore, the Board of Directors of The GBBA will have the right, at any time, to adopt new rules or modify or clarify existing rules (to be known as Supplemental Rules ). A written copy of any Supplemental Rules shall, as soon as possible, be provided to affiliated parks for circulation. Any Supplemental Rules shall be effective and binding as of their stipulated effective date and shall have the same force and effect as if set out in this Rule Book. 1. To affiliate with GBBA and to participate in GBBA tournaments, each affiliated park must file a GBBA Affiliation form with GBBA by January 31 of each current year. 2. Each team within an affiliated park league shall play a regular schedule of games. In order to qualify for tournament play each affiliated park league team must play a ten (10) game schedule. 3. Local rules may be used by affiliated park leagues during the season, however, only GBBA rules shall govern in all GBBA tournaments Finance 101. Financial requirements will be set by the GBBA Board of Directors. Each park will responsible for an equal share of the cost of Directors & Officers Insurance for the GBBA Board of Directors. Post Season Qualifying games and the GBBA Championship Tournament are not intended to be a profitable ventures for any park. It is the intent of the board to price these event at a break-even level Injuries Involving Blood 201. A player or coach who is bleeding or who has an open wound shall be prohibited from participating further in the game until appropriate treatment has been administered. If medical care or treatment can be administered in a reasonable amount of time, the individual will not have to leave the game. The length of time that is considered reasonable shall be determined by the home base umpire in his sole discretion. The reentry rule shall NOT apply to players in case of a bleeding injury. If there is an excessive amount of blood on the uniform, it must be changed before that individual may continue to participate in the game Administrative 301. Each team will be allowed four (4) adults in the dugout, one (1) head coach and three (3) coaches Two adults may coach the bases if they choose to do so. In all tournament play, coaches must wear coordinated coaches shirt and team cap Playing illegal players will result in forfeiture of the game The playing of an ineligible player will result in a replay of the game from the point of the infraction. An ineligible player is one who is legally a member of the team but who is

2 ineligible to play in a particular game or games because of an infraction of the rules, or because of a previous violation or disciplinary action No spectator shall be allowed on the playing field during the playing of the game. In the event that the spectators swarm on the playing field, the umpire in chief will request to the head coaches that the field be cleared within five (5) minutes under penalty of having the game forfeited Only officially registered players of the team, the head coach and assistant coaches will be allowed on the bench and field during the game If any player, head coach or assistant coach conducts himself/herself in an unsportsmanlike manner he/she shall be removed from the game and playing field. This includes the baiting or heckling of umpires and opposing players from the bench A coach or player ejected from a game must leave the park property for the remainder of that game and will not be allowed on the field or in the dugout for the next game. He may sit in the stands for the next game but is not allowed to coach or play Only registered players or coaches of the team are permitted on the coaching lines. The coaches, whether or not they are on the coaching lines, may moderately dispute any decision or may discuss any point with the umpires to the extent allowed by the rules of baseball, but if he at any time makes any derogatory remarks about, or to the opposing players, he shall immediately be ejected from the game 310. Tobacco products are not allowed. This includes but is not limited to cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and vapor devices. This applies to all players, coaches, umpires, and game officials on the playing field Artificial noisemakers are not permitted and shall not be used during any GBBA post-season game. Artificial noisemakers include, but are not limited to, horns, megaphones, whistles, bells, or home-made noise-making devices. Tournament Directors/Parks have the option to not allow music to be played from the stands or dugout. The umpire or Tournament Director shall be responsible for enforcing the ban on artificial noisemakers utilizing the following procedures: i. The first time the umpire detects the significant use of artificial noisemakers by those in attendance (players, coaches, or fans), the umpire will call a timeout and issue a verbal warning to both head coaches, reminding them that artificial noisemakers are not permitted. ii. On the second or subsequent incident involving the significant use of artificial noisemakers, the player(s), coach(es), or fan(s) violating the rule will be ejected from the ballpark The winner of a coin flip shall have the choice of HOME or AWAY for all pool play and crossover seeding games. Higher seeded teams shall have the choice of HOME or AWAY for all elimination games, provided; however, if a lower seeded team wins a double elimination game against a higher seeded team AND those two teams play again later in the same tournament, the lower seeded team shall have the choice of HOME or AWAY for the second game. Coaches are not required to have an official present for the coin toss In order for a player to be eligible for the GBBA Championship Tournament he be must be part of the line-up for a minimum of five (5) of the qualifying games leading up to the GBBA Championship Tournament in ages 7 & 8. The minimum number of games increases to six (6) for ages Special Rules for All Ages 401. Any runner is out when he/she does not slide or attempt to avoid the fielder who has the ball in the proximity of the base and is waiting to make the tag. If contact is made with the

3 fielder and in the umpires judgment the contact by the runner is deemed to be malicious, then the runner is out and shall be ejected from the game Head-first sliding into the next base is not permitted and the runner shall be declared out; head-first sliding back into a base is permitted In the judgment of the umpire, if a defensive player is injured by being hit in the face, throat, or head and cannot continue to play, time will be called immediately and all players awarded one base. Any other injury deemed serious enough in judgment of the umpire will be handled in the same manner. The coach must not enter the field until time is called. NOTE: THIS IS A JUDGMENT CALL AND CANNOT BE APPEALED OR PROTESTED A pressure type protective batting helmet with full ear flaps must be worn by all batters and base runners. Any batter who bats without his headgear is out after the first (1st) pitch. Any player running the base who deliberately removes his headgear in umpires decision is out Slashing - the act of faking a bunt stance, then resetting and taking a swing at the pitch is prohibited. Faking a bunt is legal as is pulling the bat back from a bunt stance, however taking a swing afterwards on the same pitch shall be illegal, and it is an umpire s judgment call. If it is ruled a slash, the batter shall be automatically out and no runners shall be allowed to advance Pitching Rules 501. Balks will be called by the umpires in the ten (10u) through fourteen (14u) year old leagues A pitcher shall only make one (1) appearance on the pitching mound per game. Once a pitcher is removed from the mound he cannot return to the mound to pitch in that game The number of pitches allowable is based on the League Age per the table below. The pitch counts do not include warm-up throws, throws from other positions, practice throws, etc. These counts are intended to account for all pitches thrown in GBBA games and practice games. Weekly pitch counts restart on Sundays at midnight. If bracket play begins mid-week the count will reset at midnight of the 7 th day. (Example If a tournament begins on Tuesday the pitch count will reset at midnight Monday) The Association is unable to monitor or control pitching outside of GBBA competition. However, for the protection of the players the Association strongly discourages pitching in non-gbba games during the GBBA season if the combined number of pitches in GBBA and non- GBBA games exceed the pitching limitations. League Age Pitches Allowed Per Day Pitches allowed per Week Required rest periods are in place when a pitcher reaches thresholds of pitches delivered in a day as noted below. The rest period begins the moment the pitcher physically leaves the mound. The official scorekeeper will make note of the time in the official score book. Except for World Series games, the following rest periods shall apply:

4 i. If a player pitches more than 60 pitches in a day, 72 hours of rest must be observed. ii. If a player pitches more than 40 pitches in a day, 40 hours of rest must be observed. iii. If a player pitches more than 20 pitches in a day, 24 hours of rest must be observed. iv. If a player pitches 20 pitches or less in a day, no rest is required before pitching again In World Series games, the following rest periods shall apply (the per day and per week pitch limits remain the same): i. If a player pitches more than 60 pitches in a day, 40 hours of rest must be observed. ii. If a player pitches more than 40 pitches in a day, 24 hours of rest must be observed. iii. If a player pitches 40 pitches or less in a day, no rest is required before pitching again If a pitcher reaches the daily pitch limit imposed above for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until that batter reaches base or is put out. All pitches (including those pitched to finish the last batter) count against the weekly pitch count but will not be counted for purposes of the required rest periods. For example, if a player in the 9-10 league reaches the daily pitch limit (60) while facing a batter and throws 3 more pitches, as allowed, to finish the batter, the player will be considered to have thrown a total of 63 pitches for purposes of the 100 pitch weekly limit but only 60 for purposes of applying the rest rules. In this example, he would have 40 hours of required rest If a pitcher reaches the weekly pitch limit imposed above for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until that batter reaches base or is put out For intentional walks, the pitcher must throw the pitches to that batter. No player may be intentionally walked more than once per game The official scorekeeper will track each pitcher s number of pitches as well as the time the pitcher completes his final pitch and physically leaves the mound in the official score book which both coaches must sign at the conclusion of each game Should a pitcher exceed the required daily or weekly pitch count limit or violate the required rest rules, the head coach and team may be penalized. These penalties may include but are not limited to letter of reprimand, suspension, or game forfeiture Offending Coaches may appeal each penalty before the Tournament Director/Protest Committee for final determination.

5 600. Bat Restrictions 601. The GBBA will only allow the use of bats for 14U and below play provided the bat 1. Has a printed stamp evidencing the bat has a BPF rating of 1.15 or less that is prominently and permanently displayed on the taper 2. Has a BBCOR mark permanently attached to the bat that is recognized by NFHS as a legal bat for NFHS sanctioned play 3. Is a Wood Bat Penalty: First Offense - If the umpire discovers that the bat does not conform to above rule until a time during or after which the bat has been used in play, it shall not be grounds for declaring the batter out and/or ejection from the game. If the umpire discovers that a bat has been used to put a ball in play and before the next legal pitch, the defensive team will have the choice of the result of play or the batter being called out and all runners returning to the base occupied before the pitch. Second Offense If a team is found in violation of this rule a second time, then the manager will be ejected in addition to the First Offense penalty.

6 5 & 6 Year Olds REVIEW & INSERT RULES FROM HOOVER EAST

7 7 & 8 Year Olds Rules set forth in this book shall govern all tournament play for GBBA tournaments General Rules 101. Each team shall consist of between ten (10) and fifteen (15) rostered players 102. Once a player is rostered on a team he may not move to or play for another team 103. In order to start a game a team must have eight (8) players present. If other players arrive they will be inserted at the end of the batting order If eight (8) players are not available within fifteen (15) of the scheduled start time the game shall be ruled a forfeit and the score recorded as If a team is playing with less than ten (10) players they must have a complete infield, including a pitcher and catcher Equipment 201. No metal cleats shall be allowed The player playing the pitcher position shall wear a protective face mask and a chest protector ( Heartguard or similar) Playing Field 301. First and third baselines shall be sixty (60) feet from the point of home plate The pitching circle will be ten (10) feet in diameter and the center will be forty 303. (40) feet from the back of home plate. The center of the pitching machine shall be centered over the front of the pitching rubber Minimum homerun distance will be 140 feet Offense 401. All players available for play will bat in continuous order. In qualifying games if a team is unable to field ten (10) players there will be no outs taken in the vacant batting positions. The team will simply bat the players it has available. In tournament play a team must have ten (10) players available for their batting line-up. A team with less than the required number of players (10) shall submit a blank in its batting order for each player less than the required number in a place selected by the team head coach and that team shall be charged with an out at each occurrence where each blank comes up in the batting order; except no out shall be charged if a player cannot play due to illness, injury, or circumstances deemed to be an excused absence. The Tournament Director shall have the final discretion to determine an excused absence. An out will be charged for an unexcused absence or for an ejected player. If a player is injured during the game and is unable to continue to play in the game in the judgment of the home plate umpire, no out shall be charged to that team. An injured player shall not return to that game once he/she is deemed injured by the home plate umpire An offensive batter will receive five (5) pitches before being declared out. He/she may be called out on three (3) swinging strikes. If the fifth (5th) pitch is fouled he/she may continue to bat. If fifth (5th) pitch is fouled and caught it is an out There will be no walks Bunting shall not be allowed; half swings, as judged by the umpire, will be called a bunt. PENALTY: A strike will be called on the batter. If on the third strike or fifth pitch, the batter attempts to bunt and fouls the ball will be called out.

8 405. After one (1) warning per game per player for slinging his bat, the batter will be out, a dead ball called, no runners can advance Any base runner leaving the base before the ball reaches home plate is out (umpire s decision). The ball is considered dead and a no pitch. If a runner misses a base, it will be an appeal play to the umpire Defense 501. Only ten (10) defensive players will play in the field. Four (4) outfielders, twenty (20) feet behind the basepath until ball is hit The defensive player listed as pitcher will stay in the ten (10) foot circle until ball is hit. He can have one foot outside of the circle. The player may not be in front of the pitching rubber (extended) until the ball is hit. If there is no pitching rubber for reference the player must start the play behind the front leg of the pitching machine. PENALTY: Offense gets choice of play or re-bat Infield fly is not in effect Play shall be stopped by the defensive team heading off or stopping the front runner. Any other runner may continue at his/her own risk. Any play made on a runner other than the front runner will release the front runner. Other runners may continue. If no runners are attempting to advance and the defense has call time the umpire may grant time at his discretion One defensive coach may be out of the dugout at the open end, to instruct his/her defensive players Pitching Rules Pitching Machine 601. An offensive coach will operate the pitching machine and pitch to his own batters. He may only talk to the runner between home and first base and between third base and home while the ball is in play. PENALTY: After one (1) warning the coach will be replaced On any batted ball that hits the pitching coach or pitching machine a single will be awarded to the batter and any forced base runner will advance one base. If he coach intentionally (in the umpires judgement) allows a ball to hit him the batter will be declared out, a dead ball called, and all runners must return to the base they started from on that pitch The pitching machine will be set so that the ball shall be traveling at 32 MPH when the ball crosses home plate The pitching coach may adjust the machine at the start of his team s at-bat or at the umpire s discretion; however it should NOT be necessary to adjust the machine for each batter. The umpire should allow the machine to be checked/adjusted after it is hit by a player, coach, umpire or ball, or if it starts to consistently deliver pitches out of the strike zone Miscellaneous 701. There will be a maximum of one (1) offensive and one (1) defensive time out per inning with each time out being no more than one (1) minute in length. The scorekeeper will keep a log of time-outs Pool Play games will be 1 hour and 30 minutes or six (6) full innings, whichever comes first. Tournament games will be six (6) full innings Free substitution of defensive players is allowed at any time during the game. The batting order shall not be changed during the game. There is a maximum of ten (10) runs per inning in tournament play Three (3) strikes is an out--even if the pitched ball is not caught.

9 9 & 10 Year Olds Rules set forth in this book shall govern all tournament play for GBBA tournaments General Rules 101. Each team shall consist of between nine (9) and fifteen (15) rostered players 102. Once a player is rostered on a team he may not move to or play for another team 103. In order to start a game a team must have eight (8) players present. If other players arrive they will be inserted at the end of the batting order If eight (8) players are not available within fifteen (15) of the scheduled start time the game shall be ruled a forfeit and the score recorded as Equipment 201. No metal cleats shall be allowed All players should wear athletic supporters Catchers must wear a protective cup and throat protector Catchers must wear a protective helmet with ear protection and attached mask and full catcher's equipment while on defense. No skull caps with mask shall be allowed Any player warming up a pitcher shall wear a catcher s mask; there shall be a protective player within close proximity of the pitcher and catcher wearing a batting helmet to protect the catcher and pitcher while they are warming up Playing Field 301. First and third baselines shall be sixty five (65) feet from the point of home plate The distance from the point of home plate to second base and from first base to third base shall be eighty-four (84) feet ten (10) inches The pitching distance shall be-forty-six (46) feet from the point of home plate to the front of the pitching rubber The home run distance should be 200 feet. The maximum home run distance shall be 250 feet The height of the pitching rubber above the level of home plate shall be raised by a gradual slope to six (6) inches. The strike zone shall comply with major league rules Offense 401. Any coach going onto the playing field to talk to the same batter (or a batter going to the dugout or bench to talk to a coach) more than one (1) time per batter per inning will result in the current batter being declared out. NOTE: The only is in the case of injury or if the time is called by the opposing team or umpire A batter removed from the game because of too many appearances on the field by a coach in one inning, cannot return to the game until this half inning of play has been completed All players available for play will bat in continuous order. In qualifying games if a team is unable to field nine (9) players there will be no out(s) taken in the vacant batting positions. The team will simply bat the players it has available. In tournament play a team must have nine (9) players available for their batting line-up. A team with less than the required number of players (9) shall submit a blank in its batting order for each player less than the required number in a place selected by the team head coach and that team shall be charged with an out

10 500. Defense at each occurrence where each blank comes up in the batting order; except no out shall be charged if a player cannot play due to illness, injury, or circumstances deemed to be an excused absence. The Tournament Director shall have the final discretion to determine an excused absence. An out will be charged for an unexcused absence or for an ejected player. If a player is injured during the game and is unable to continue to play in the game in the judgment of the home plate umpire, no out shall be charged to that team. An injured player shall not return to that game once he/she is deemed injured by the home plate umpire Any coach who calls time and goes onto the playing field more than one (1) time in one inning (not game) per pitcher to talk to a player or players, will be required to remove the current pitcher from the mound. Once removed, the pitcher shall not return to the mound the reminder of the game Miscellaneous 601. Qualifying games shall be six (6) innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes in duration, whichever comes first. Tournament games shall be six (6) full innings in duration. In time-limit, non-tournament, qualifying games, if the game is tied after six (6) full innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes the following format will be followed. i. Each half inning will begin with the player making the last batted out on second base ii. Each half inning will begin with one out iii. This format will be used until a winner is determined In order for a game to be a complete game, it must be a full six (6) inning contest for double elimination games or a full six (6) innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes for pool play games, regardless of any delay due to rain, darkness, protest, tie or any other cause; no tournament game may be started until the completion of the interrupted game. EXCEPTION: if a team is leading its opponent by at least ten (10) runs after four (4) innings of play, or three and one half (3 ½) innings if the home team is winning, the game shall be terminated and the team in front declared the winner. The home team shall always be allowed to bat unless they are leading In the event a game is halted or delayed before completion due to rain, darkness, protest, tie, or any other cause, it must be resumed from the point of termination when the game is rescheduled by tournament officials, with as nearly the same lineup as possible. WARNING: DO NOT VIOLATE ANY PITCHING RULE All ground rules must be given to the coaches prior to the beginning of the game 603. The home team must have their pitcher warmed up and ready to pitch after eight (8) warm-up pitches, or two (2) minutes, immediately after the umpire notifies the teams to play ball For 9u - any base runner leaving the base before the ball reaches home plate is out (umpires decision). The ball is considered dead and a no pitch. If a runner misses a base, it will be an appeal play to the umpire For 10u - runners will be allowed to lead-off as per the rules of Major League Baseball For both 9u & 10u - Three (3) strikes is an out--even if the pitched ball is not caught.

11 11 & 12 Year Olds Rules set forth in this book shall govern all tournament play for GBBA tournaments 100. General Rules 101. Each team shall consist of between nine (9) and fifteen (15) rostered players 102. Once a player is rostered on a team he may not move to or play for another team 103. In order to start a game a team must have eight (8) players present. If other players arrive they will be inserted at the end of the batting order If eight (8) players are not available within fifteen (15) of the scheduled start time the game shall be ruled a forfeit and the score recorded as Equipment 201. No metal cleats shall be allowed All players should wear athletic supporters Catchers must wear a protective cup and throat protector Catchers must wear a protective helmet with ear protection and attached mask and full catcher's equipment while on defense. No skull caps with mask shall be allowed Any player warming up a pitcher shall wear a catcher s mask; there shall be a protective player within close proximity of the pitcher and catcher wearing a batting helmet to protect the catcher and pitcher while they are warming up The Playing Field 301. First and third baselines shall be seventy (70) feet from the point of home plate The distance from the point of home plate to second base and from first base to third base shall be ninety-nine (99) feet The pitching distance shall be fifty (50) feet from the point of home plate to the front of the pitching rubber The home run distance should be 200 feet. The maximum home run distance shall be 250 feet The height of the pitching rubber above the level of home plate shall be raised by a gradual slope to six (6) inches. The strike zone shall comply with major league rules Substitution Rules 401. GBBA games for this age division are played under re-entry substitution. Any starting player (pitcher included) may be removed from the game by being replaced with a substitute, and then return to the lineup one time; however, the starter must replace the first player who replaces him and be inserted in the same position in the bat- ting order that he possessed at the start of the game. The substitute must be inserted in the same position in the batting order as the starter. (NOTE: A substitute who replaces a starting player may be replaced by another substitute. However, in doing so, the starting player and the substitute that replaced the starting player are both out for the remainder of the game. Once the substitute has been removed from the game he cannot return. The substitute can make only one appearance in the game. EXCEPTION: A coach must notify the official scorekeeper of each batting substitution when made. Failure of a coach to notify the score keeper of a batting substitution will result in the coach receiving a warning from the tournament director once the opposing coach identifies the infraction. (This rule would nullify the batting out of order rule as

12 described in the major league baseball rule book.) (Rules Committee comments: Failure of a coach to notify the scorekeeper of a substitution only comes into play when an opposing coach, not the scorekeeper, notifies the scorekeeper or umpire of the failure of the coach to announce the substitute. If the scorekeeper or umpire is not notified of the violation by the opposing coach before the inning ends, there is no violation. The scorekeeper/umpire must be notified in the inning the violation occurs, other- wise, it is too late and there is no violation. The opposing coach, not the scorekeeper, is responsible to raise the issue that this rule is violated. If the opposing coach does not raise the issue, the scorekeeper should remain silent on the violation of this rule.) 402. A batter removed from the game because of too many appearances on the field by a coach in one inning, cannot return to the game until this half inning of play has been completed. Should this batter be a substitute player, he cannot return to the game at all, because a substitute can make only one appearance If a head coach has used all of his eligible players and a player is ejected, injured, or becomes ill and cannot continue, then the OPPOSING HEAD COACH must select one or more of the players on the bench who have already been in the game to replace the ejected, ill, or injured player or players. However, an ejected player cannot return to the game under any circumstances. If there is no one for the opposing head coach to select then the game will be forfeited. WARNING: DO NOT VIOLATE ANY PITCHING RULES 404. In qualifying games if a team is unable to field nine (9) players there will be no outs taken in the vacant batting positions. The team will simply bat the players it has available. In tournament play a team must have nine (9) players available for their batting line-up. A team with less than the required number of players (9) shall submit a blank in its batting order for each player less than the required number in a place selected by the team head coach and that team shall be charged with an out at each occurrence where each blank comes up in the batting order; except no out shall be charged if a player cannot play due to illness, injury, or circumstances deemed to be an excused absence. The Tournament Director shall have the final discretion to determine an excused absence. An out will be charged for an unexcused absence or for an ejected player. If a player is injured during the game and is unable to continue to play in the game in the judgment of the home plate umpire, no out shall be charged to that team. An injured player shall not return to that game once he/she is deemed injured by the home plate umpire Head Coaches and Coaches 501. Any coach who calls time and goes onto the playing field more than one (1) time in one inning (not game) per pitcher to talk to a player or players, will be required to remove the current pitcher from the mound. Once removed, the pitcher shall not return to the mound to pitch in that game Any coach going onto the playing field to talk to the same batter (or a batter going to the dugout or bench to talk to a coach) more than one (1) time per batter per inning will be required to remove the current batter from the game and make a substitution in the line-up. NOTE: The only exception to Rule 403 and 404 is in the case of injury or if the time is called by the opposing team or umpire.

13 600. Regulation Games 602. Qualifying games shall be six (6) innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes in duration, whichever comes first. Tournament games shall be six (6) full innings in duration. In time-limit, nontournament, qualifying games, if the game is tied after six (6) full innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes the following format will be followed. i. Each half inning will begin with the player making the last batted out on second base ii. Each half inning will begin with one out iii. This format will be used until a winner is determined In order for a game to be a complete game, it must be a full six (6) inning contest for double elimination games or a full six (6) innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes for pool play games, regardless of any delay due to rain, darkness, protest, tie or any other cause; no tournament game may be started until the completion of the interrupted game. EXCEPTION: if a team is leading its opponent by at least ten (10) runs after four (4) innings of play, or 3 ½ innings if the home team is winning, the game shall be terminated and the team in front declared the winner. The home team shall always be allowed to bat unless they are leading In the event a game is halted or delayed before completion due to rain, darkness, protest, tie, or any other cause, it must be resumed from the point of termination when the game is rescheduled by tournament officials, with as nearly the same lineup as possible. WARNING: DO NOT VIOLATE ANY PITCHING RULE A team failing to field at least nine (9) uniformed players within fifteen (15) minutes after scheduled game time shall forfeit the game. A forfeit shall count in tournament standings Miscellaneous 701. An uncaught third strike is live per the rules of Major League Baseball 702. The use of a courtesy runner for the catcher is permitted to speed the game up. The runner must be a player not in the game and does not count as a substitute. The courtesy runner is permitted only for the catcher of record (most recently playing that position) The use of an Extra Hitter (EH) is allowed by not required. The EH is considered a field position and can be moved around defensively freely however his batting position prior to the start of the game whether they will use the EH position or not and they cannot change once the game begins A coach has the option to bat 9 players, 10 players (using the EH as outlined in Rule 703), or his entire roster. This option is available and must be declared to the official scorekeeper prior to the start of each game. The team must complete the game using the option they choose to start the game. Coaches may choose a different option from game to game.