BUX MONT AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL LEAGUE PLAYING RULES 1. Starting a Game A. Umpires and team managers meet at home plate at last five minutes before scheduled starting time; B. Lineups are exchanged in triplicate. The home plate umpire checks to see that all three copies contain: i. Players names; ii. Players uniform numbers; and iii. Players positions, including designated hitter and corresponding defensive player. The home plate umpire retains one copy, returning one to each manager; C. Ground rules are discussed. If there are any disagreements, the home plate umpire will establish appropriate ground rules and his decision will be final; D. The home plate umpire shall read the American Legion Code of Sportsmanship. Players will remove their caps and repeat each Code paragraph in full; and E. If the National Anthem is played or sung, it shall be just prior to the reading of the American Legion Code of Sportsmanship. 2. Starting Times Weekday games: 6:00 PM, unless previously agreed to by both teams B. Weekend and holiday games: 5:30 PM, unless previously agreed to by both teams
3. Forfeits A. Forfeit times: i. Weekdays (fields without lights) 15 minutes after scheduled starting time; and ii. Weekends, holidays, and fields with lights 30 minutes after scheduled starting time B. A game shall be forfeited to the opposing team when a team is unable or refuses to list nine players on a lineup card and field an entire team. All nine players must by physically present prior to forfeit time. Any replaced, injured, or ejected player must be replaced immediately; that is, before any pitch, play, or attempted play; C. Once a team has nine players present, it must immediately submit a lineup and be prepared to begin play (that is, the team would not be permitted to wait until forfeit time to begin play in this instance); and D. In the event of a forfeit for any reason, the forfeiting team shall be responsible for paying the umpires fees. In this event, umpires will receive full fees, regardless of when the game is terminated. If both teams forfeit, the teams shall split the umpires fees. 4. Inclement Weather, Unplayable Field Conditions, or Light Failure A. The home team must notify the Umpire Assignor (or individual umpire(s)) at least one hour prior to scheduled starting time; and B. Postponed games must be re-scheduled within forty-eight hours, to be played at the earliest practical date available to both teams. Page 2
5. Umpire Fees A. If a game is started (i.e., one pitch is delivered), umpires receive their full fee; B. If, because of inclement weather or unsuitable field conditions, a game is not started, umpires receive one-half their normal game fee; C. If it is agreed to play a game with only one umpire (see Rule 5.E., below), that umpire shall receive one and one-half times his normal fee; D. If no umpires appear, the game must be re-scheduled; E. If one or more umpires do not appear (or in case of incapacity of one or more umpires during or before a game), any qualified Bux Mont League umpire in good standing present at the game may fill in; however, this must be agreed to by both managers and the remaining umpire(s); F. Umpire fees for each season will be negotiated in advance of each season with the League s designated Umpire Assignor; and G. If an umpire is notified of a weather-related game cancellation or postponement more than one hour prior to the scheduled game starting time, he will receive no payment. 6. Baseballs A. The official ball for all Bux Mont League games will be the ball approved for the current season by the Pennsylvania American Legion Activities Committee, as published in the annual Guide; A. The previous season s approved baseball may also be used; and B. Every game must be begun with at least three new approved baseballs. Once a game has begun, the home team must continue to provide additional serviceable baseballs, as needed and ordered by the home plate umpire. 7. Uniforms A. Managers, coaches, and players must be uniformed alike during batting practice, fielding practice, and games; B. A full uniform shall consist of jersey, trousers, caps, stirrup hose, and baseball shoes; and C. The official Pennsylvania American Legion Patch must be sewn onto the left sleeve or left breast of the uniform or practice jersey. Page 3
8. Re-entry A. A starting player may be taken out of a game and re-entered once during that game. A reentering player must re-enter in the original batting order position he occupied as a starter; B. A substitute, once removed from a game, may not re-enter; and C. This Bux Mont League rule is intended to be the same as the re-entry rule currently in use by the National Federation of State High School Associations ( NFSHSA ) and its Pennsylvania arm, the PIAA. Its use in concert with the Designated Hitter rule (see below, Rule 10) is also intended to be the same as that used by the NFSHSA and PIAA. 9. Catch and Carry In the absence of ground rules to the contrary (which must be agreed to by both managers and the umpires), this rule, described below, will apply to catches near designated out-of-play boundaries; A. A fielder must obtain secure possession of a batted or thrown ball without any part of his body touching the ground in a designated out-of-play area; B. A fielder, once having caught a ball as described in Rule 9.A., above, may carry the ball out of play and make a throw from that area; and C. If a fielder, once having caught a ball as described in Rule 9.A., above, falls (one knee) or drops the ball in the act of throwing while in the designated out-of-play area, the ball becomes dead and each runner advances one base, without liability to be put out, from the last base legally occupied at the time of the fall or dropped ball. Page 4
10. Designated Hitter A. A hitter may be designated for any one starting player (not only pitchers) and all subsequent substitutes for that player in the game. The use of this player, the Designated Hitter ( DH ), is not mandatory. B. A starting defensive player cannot be listed as the DH in the starting lineup. A DH for said player must be selected prior to the start of the game, and his name must be included on the lineup cards presented to the home plate umpire and to the official scorer. Failure to declare a DH prior to the game precludes the use of a DH in that game. If a pinch hitter or pinch runner for the DH is used, that player becomes the new DH. The player who was the DH may re-enter as the DH under the re-entry rule; and C. The role of the DH is terminated for the remainder of the game when: i. The defensive player, or any previous defensive player for whom the designated hitter batted, subsequently bats, pinch hits, or pinch runs for the DH; or ii. The DH or any previous DH assumes a defensive position. A DH and the player for whom he is batting are locked into the batting order. No multiple substitutions that will alter the batting rotation may be made. 11. Blood A. If a minor cut can be covered in a reasonable amount of time, the player and the game will continue. This is strictly an umpire s judgment; and B. If a player has to be removed due to a blood injury, the manager may substitute any player not in the current line up. The injured player may return at any point, when he is able. The substitute player is still eligible to enter the game at a later time. Page 5
12. Conduct of Participants The following acts may be cause for immediate ejection by an umpire, without warning: A. Use of profane, racist, ethnic, or other seriously objectionable language on the field, in a dugout or bench area, or in a bullpen; B. Unnecessary roughness; C. Thrown bats, helmets, or other equipment; D. Unnecessary gestures in protesting any umpire s decision; and E. Riding, heckling, abusing, or making uncomplimentary remarks or gestures to an opposing team or its players or fans. Any such ejection is umpire s judgment and not subject to protest. Any such ejected participant must immediately leave the confines of the ballpark, as defined by the umpires. 13. Protested Games A. When a manager protests a game because of alleged misapplication of the rules the protest will not be recognized unless the umpires are notified at the time the play under protest occurs and before the next pitch, play, or attempted play; B. A protest arising in a game-ending play must be reported to the umpires before they leave the field of play. A written report is required from the umpires involved in the game; C. No protests shall be permitted on any judgment decisions by the umpires; D. All protests must be submitted by the protesting team in writing to the League President within twenty-four hours of the end of the protested game. The protest must contain all rule number violations and other necessary facts, and must be accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars. Should the protest be upheld, this fee will be returned; E. The League President may employ whatever means he deems appropriate to make this decision, and that decision shall be final; and F. The League President shall inform the managers of the protesting team and its opponent (by telephone) of the decision, followed by a written notice to all managers in the League, as well as the umpires involved in the protested game. Page 6
14. Suspensions A. The League President may suspend any coach, manager, player, umpire, or other participant for violation of the following rule codes, at his discretion: i. The Official Baseball Rules; ii. The American Legion s National Rule Guide; iii. The Pennsylvania American Legion Baseball Guide; and iv. The Bux Mont League Playing Rules. B. A manager, coach, player, umpire, or other participant suspended by the League President during the season or after the conclusion of the season may appeal to the League Baseball Commission within twenty-four hours of the notice of suspension; C. All necessary facts pertaining to the suspension and appeal must be in writing, and will be accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars. This fee will not be returned; and D. All communication to and from the League Baseball Commission shall go through the League President. In no case will direct communication with the Commission be permitted. Page 7
PLAYING RULES OF THE AMERICAN LEGION BUX MONT LEAGUE * * * * * * * * * * Revised and updated on January 4, 1999