Arlington Doc Bonaccorso Summer Classic Tournament Rules 8U Updated 7/11/16

Transcription

1 Arlington Doc Bonaccorso Summer Classic Tournament Rules 8U Updated 7/11/16 The Tournament will follow the rules of the 2016 Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken Baseball League, subject to the modifications and clarifications presented below. Starting Rosters a) General Rule: Teams must start with 9 players, but may finish with 8. If the player who leaves early comes up in the batting order, an automatic out will be assessed. b) Special Rule for Weekday 6 pm Games: Teams that cannot comply with the general rule above may start with 8 players. If the 9 th player does not arrive by his/her place in the batting order, the team will forfeit the game Home Team Home team will be determined by a coin toss. For playoff (single elimination bracket) games, the higher ranked team is the home team. Dugout The home team can choose to occupy the Third Base dugout. Six-inning Games Subject to the Mercy Rule (see below). Mercy Rule The umpire will call the game if one team has a 15-run lead at the end of 3 1/2 innings (or 4 innings, if the visiting team is ahead). The Mercy Rule also applies if one team has a 20-run lead at any time after two innings. Ties Games tied after six innings can advance to extra innings, subject to the time limit. See Rule 7. Time Limits on Games All games have a 1:45 time limit. This means that no new inning will begin after 1:45 minutes of play. 1

2 a) First pitch: The first pitch of the game determines the time the game begins. For Rule 7(a), a new inning is determined based on the time of the first pitch (e.g., at the 1:44 or 1:46 mark). b) All games will end two hours after play begins. Hard stop. c) If an inning is begun before 1:45 but is not completed by the twohour hard stop, the score reverts to the top of the inning. (The Tournament Director expects the teams to play this portion of the game with alacrity; no unsportsmanlike delays.) The umpire will give the batting team notice before the last batter and will allow that at-bat to conclude. d) No time limit applies to Semi-final and Championship games. Official, Suspended and Rescheduled Game a) In the event of lightning, the umpire will suspend play for 20 minutes. b) In the case of inclement weather, the game is official if the trailing team has batted four (4) full innings. c) For games that are suspended but not official, the Tournament Director will attempt to reschedule the games; if rescheduled, they will be resumed from the point of the suspension. d) A team that declines to resume playing a suspended game (e.g., because of the time of day) will forfeit that game. Forfeit score: 6-0. e) The Tournament Director will attempt to reschedule all pool-play games cancelled on account of weather. f) The Tournament Director reserves the right, if necessary, to schedule make-up games on Sunday morning or to schedule a team for back-to-back games. g) The Tournament Director also reserves the right, if necessary, to cancel or shorten games that do not have playoff significance in order to accommodate make-up games that do have playoff significance. Pitching a) Player pitches from 43 feet distance (shorter than the usual mound of 46 ). b) There are NO walks, but a batter hit by a kid-pitcher takes first base. c) If the pitcher throws four balls to a batter, the hitting-team coach (prepared with 3 balls in hand) will run onto the field and 2

3 pitch to his batter. The coach can pitcher standing or from one knee at the regular pitching mound. d) The batter's count becomes irrelevant and does not continue during the at bat when the coach enters the game to pitch. e) The batter gets a maximum of 3 pitches (excluding a foul ball on the last pitch) and either hits or sits down. f) Coaches will not be allowed extra pitches even if they deem their pitches outside of the strike zone except where there is a foul on the last pitch. g) There are no coach walks and the batter will not advance to first in the event he/she is hit by a coach pitched ball. Pitching Limits a) No more than 6 innings pitched during the tournament; no more than 3 innings pitched in one game. b) If more than three innings thrown in one game, than one day s rest is required in order to pitch in next game. c) Coaches are expected to manage accordingly with the best interest of their PITCHERS in mind. d) One pitch thrown in any inning constitutes an inning pitched. Batting a) Continuous batting order, all players bat. b) Players arriving late are added to the bottom of the order c) Bunting is allowed. d) Batters who are hit by a player s pitch will advance to 1 st base, even if it walks a runner to home score. Base Running a. No leaving the base before the ball is struck. b. The runner must slide into all bases (except first base) when necessary to avoid contact with the fielder. c. Any baserunner who in the judgment of the umpire runs into or interferes with a fielder instead of sliding will be called out for interference. d. If, in the umpire's judgment, a defensive player blocks the baserunner, the baserunner will be awarded the next base he/she is going to. e. No head first slides permitted (except when returning to a base) and umpires will call the runner out if the runner slides head first at 3

4 any base. Additionally all players are REQUIRED to slide (feet first) when, in the judgment of the umpire, there is a play or a potentially imminent play at home plate. Players who fail to slide will be called out. At second and third bases, any baserunner who in the judgment of the umpire runs into or interferes with a fielder instead of sliding, will be called out for interference consistent with the Official Playing Rules of Babe Ruth Baseball. Stealing Subject to the stealing restrictions described below, players may steal second base at after a pitched ball crosses the plate. a) Runners may not lead. b) The first time a team has a base runner leave first base before a pitched ball crosses the plate, the team will be issued a warning. If the ball is not put in play, the runner will be ordered back to first base, a warning will be issued, and the pitch will count. If the ball is put in play, the play will stand, but a warning will be issued. In either case, that will be that team s only warning and the second time a team s base runner leaves first early, the base runner will be called out. c) Players may not steal third base or home plate. A steal will be defined as an advancement of a runner when the ball is not put in play by a batter. For example if a runner is on second base and there is a passed ball, the runner cannot advance. d) No trick plays/delayed stealing meaning no stealing when the catcher throws back to the pitcher and the pitcher s back is turned etc. Umpires will have discretion. e) No dancing - Once the pitcher has the ball on the mound the runners should re-establish him/herself on the base. f) The runner may not advance beyond second base on an error or overthrow during the steal attempt. g) The runner may not steal when a coach is pitching. h) Stealing/Base Running Etiquette: Although stealing bases and aggressive base running are crucial elements of advanced baseball, good sportsmanship of players and coaches is essential. This tournament does not have a minimum play rule. Re-entry rule Starters may re-enter in the same offensive position once. Reserves cannot re-enter the game once they have been removed. A starter and his replacement can never be in the game at the same time. 4

5 The starter can return to the batting order only in the same spot that he previously occupied. For games affected by extreme heat, the Tournament Director reserves the right to suspend this rule in order to care for the health of the players. (See also Rule 11: Continuous Line- Up.) Courtesy runner A courtesy runner can be used for the catcher (on record) any time. The courtesy runner shall be (1) the batter who made the last batted out (if team is batting entire roster) or (2) a player not in the game. Big Barrel & Wood Bats a) Big barrel bats are prohibited. For the 8U, 9U, 10U and 11U brackets, only Cal Ripken or Little League approved bats may be used. The bat may not exceed 33" in length. Bat barrel may not exceed 2¼" in diameter. The coach is responsible to ensure team equipment meets requirements. b) Wooden bats: for 12U only, wooden bats are required for all 12U games. The bat must be all wood or a combination of different wood (no half metal composite handle). The bat may not exceed 33" in length. Ash, maple, bamboo are okay as long as they meet the above standards. c) If an illegal bat is used the batter will be out; runners will not advance; and the bat will be removed. If an illegal bat is used for a second time, the team will forfeit the game. Dropped Third Strike There is no stealing first on a dropped third-strike. No Slash Bunts A batter will be out; and runners will not advance on a slash bunt attempt (successful or unsuccessful). A slash bunt is when a batter shows bunt and then takes a full swing. This is a major safety issue. Forfeit -- Forfeit time is 15 minutes after the scheduled start time for the game. The forfeit score will be 6-0. Injured Players -- An injured player who must be removed from the line-up does not create an automatic out for his spot in the order. Protests No protests will be allowed. The umpire has full authority. 5

6 Ejection This rule applies to managers, coaches and players. The first occurrence results in the individual s suspension for the next game. The second occurrence results in the individual s ejection from the tournament. Rule changes The Tournament Director has the discretion to change the rules, including tiebreaker procedures, in order to accommodate game schedules/inclement weather. Proof of Age Teams need to bring to the tournament proof of age for each player on the team s roster (e.g., birth certificates, Babe Ruth cards, or other proof of age) in the event a player s age is challenged by another team or by a tournament official. The age cut-off date is April 30 th. Tiebreaker Procedures (General) The Tournament Director will use these procedures to determine playoff positions and, in the event of rain, the Championship (unless a make-up Championship game can be arranged). 1. Won-lost record. 2. Head-to-Head won-lost record. 3. Record vs. common opponents. 4. Fewest runs allowed vs. common opponents. 5. Most runs scored vs. comments opponents. 6. Fewest runs allowed per game overall. 7. Most runs scored per game overall. 8. Best run differential -- subtract the sum of all runs allowed from the sum of all runs scored (i.e., runs scored minus runs allowed). If a team allows more runs than it scores, the differential will be a negative number. 9. Coin toss Tie-Breaker Procedures (unequal number of games played in pool play): We will strive to ensure that all teams play the same number of pool play games, e.g., by rescheduling pool play games cancelled because of inclement weather. However, in the event that teams within a division play a different number of games, the following tie-breaking procedures will be used: 1. Won-lost record Example: teams with a record of 3-0, 2-1 and 2-0 will advance to the playoffs; teams with a record of 1-1 or 1-2 will be ranked using the remaining tie-breaking procedures. 2. Head-to-Head won-lost record Example: a team with a 1-2 record (Team A) could be ranked higher than a team with a 1-1 record (Team B) if Team A had defeated Team B. 3. Record vs. common opponents. 6

7 4. Fewest runs allowed vs. common opponents. 5. Most runs scored vs. comments opponents. 6. Best run differential (see above) 7. Coin toss 7