GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP BASEBALL RULES (Revised 4/12)

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP BASEBALL RULES (Revised 4/12)

RULE 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS

APPLICABILITY: ALL RULES MUST BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (“BOARD”). THESE RULES WILL GOVERN PLAY IN ALL GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP BASEBALL (“GTB”) GAMES, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS AND FALL BASEBALL UNLESS NOTED HEREIN OR IN A WRITTEN ADDENDUM APPROVED BY THE BOARD.

DIVISIONS: The GTB Divisions are as follows:T-Ball, age 4; Novice ages 5 and 6; Rookies, ages 7 and 8; Minors, ages 9 and 10; Majors, ages 11 and 12; Senior, ages 13 to 15.

CAL RIPKEN/BABE RUTH RULES:The current OFFICIAL CAL RIPKEN/BABE RUTH BASEBALL RULES are applicable, except as noted herein.

RULE 2: PLAYING FIELD AND EQUIPMENT

THE PLAYING FIELD: For the Minors Division, the distance between the front side of the pitcher's plate and the rear point of home plate shall be 46 feet and the infield shall be a 60-foot square. For the Majors Division, the distances will be 50/70 feet. For Seniors, the distances shall be 60 feet, 6 inches/90 feet.

THE BALL: The ball must be an OFFICIAL CAL RIPKEN/BABE RUTH BASEBALL or one approved by the Board. Each team is required to provide a new baseball to the umpire for each game.

BATS:In all divisions except the Senior Division, the bat shall not be more than 33 inches in length, nor have a bat barrel in excess of 2.25 inches. Only 2.25 barrel non-wood bats marked BPF 1.15 will be allowed. Big barrel bats may only be used in the Senior Division, however, the bat may not exceed 34 inches in length, and the bat barrel may not exceed 2 5/8 " in diameter. All aluminum/alloy barrel bats and all composite handle (only) aluminum/alloy barrels are allowed. Only composite barrel bats certified and marked BBCOR .50 will be allowed. Wood barrel bats conforming to the specifications of Official Baseball Rule 1.10 are allowed.

HELMETS: Protective helmets shall be worn by all batters, base runners, players on deck and by players in the coaching box, during practice and in all games. All bat and ball boys/girls must wear a helmet while out of the dugout. The spotter for a pitcher/player warming up must wear a helmet.

CATCHER'S EQUIPMENT: Any player warming up a pitcher at home plate or any other location shall wear a mask with a throat protector. The catcher must wear the headgear, which should cover the top of the head and properly fit the player wearing it, shin guards and a protective supporter and cup during practice and all games. All players in all divisions are encouraged to wear a protective cup regardless of position.

CLEATS: Metal cleats or spikes are not permitted in any division, except the Senior Division.

UNIFORMS: All regular players on the team roster must be in complete team uniforms. The Board must approve any additional game uniforms, insignias or patches, other than those issued by GTB.

JEWELRY: Players will not be allowed to wear any jewelry of any kind. Watches are considered jewelry. EXCEPTION: Medical notification chains, necklaces, or tags.

RULE 3: BATTING ORDER AND PLAYING TIME

BATTING ORDER: The batting order will consist of all players on the roster present at the game. In case of injury after the start of the game, all succeeding players will move up in the batting order. If a player is injured while at bat and cannot continue, the last offensive player making a batted out will complete the injured player's turn at bat assuming the same ball and strike count. If a base runner is injured, the player making the last batted out shall pinch run. Late arriving players will be allowed to play and added to the bottom of the batting order regardless of the inning during the game in which they arrive.

DEFENSIVE SUBSTITUTIONS: No substitution, other than for a pitching change or an injury, can be made during an inning of play. Once a player is removed as a pitcher, he cannot pitch again in that game. A pitcher who is removed from the mound may not be inserted as a catcher until the next inning.

PLAYING TIME:

SENIORS: All players must play at least 15 outs in a 7-inning game which must include at least six outs in the infield.

MAJORS, MINORS: All players must play defense at least 12 outs per a 6-inning game which must include at least three outs in the infield.

ROOKIES, NOVICE AND T-BALL: All players shall play defensively regardless of the number of players on the roster. Any extra players shall be placed in the outfield. All players must rotate defensive positions at least every two (2) innings. All players should be switching from the infield to the outfield on a regular basis.

SANCTIONS: Failure to follow the playing time rules may result in disciplinary action by the Board.

POSITION OF PLAYERS IN ROOKIE, NOVICE AND T-BALL DIVISIONS: All players must be placed in proper and universally accepted positions. All infielders must be behind the pitching plate with only one player per infield position. Extra players are placed in the outfield. There will be no catcher.

RULE 4: STARTING AND ENDING A GAME

REGULAR GAME:

SENIORS: Games will be 7 innings. There is no time limit, but during the regular season extra innings shall not be played and games may end in a tie. Extra innings shall be played in the playoffs only.

MAJORS: Games will be 6 innings. There is no time limit, but during the regular season extra innings shall not be played and games may end in a tie. Extra innings shall be played in the playoffs only.

MINORS: A game will be 6 innings. In the Minors Division, no new inning shall begin after 8:30 p.m. for night games (games which begin 5:30 p.m. or later). During the regular season extra innings shall not be played and games may end in a tie. There is no time limit for day games or in playoff games. Extra innings shall be played in the playoffs only.

ROOKIES: Games will be 4 innings. No new inning shall start after 1.5 hours from the first pitched ball. The home team always bats in the last inning.

NOVICE: The game consists of a maximum of four innings or 75 minutes. The home team always bats in the last inning. The entire team bats each inning regardless of the number of outs recorded.

T-BALL: A game consists of a maximum of four innings or one hour. The home team always bats in the last inning. The entire team bats each inning regardless of the number of outs recorded.

RUNS PER INNING:

SENIORS: During the regular season, there will be a 4 run limit per inning except in the seventh inning (or in extra innings during playoffs), in which there will be no limit.

MAJORS AND MINORS: There will be a 4 run limit per inning except in the sixth inning, (or in extra innings during playoffs), in which there will be no limit.

ROOKIES: The Rookie Division games shall have a limit of four runs per inning, including the last inning. No score shall be kept in the Rookie Division.

NOVICE AND T-BALL: The entire team bats each inning regardless of the number of runs or outs recorded. No score shall be kept in the Novice and T-Ball Divisions.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN SENIOR, MAJORS AND MINORS DIVISIONS: All games are to start on time. Games may be played with as few as seven (7) players. Players may be called up from a lower division to permit a team to field a full 9-player team. No players can be called up for the playoffs, except with Board approval in exceptional circumstances. A forfeit will be issued 15 minutes after the scheduled starting time against any team without seven (7) players.

PROTESTING GAMES: No protest is permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire. A protest shall be made as soon as reasonably practicable after the decision in question is made. When a protest is lodged, the managers and umpires must sign the scorebooks. Both managers and the umpires shall submit a report to the League President within 24 hours. The League President will then appoint a protest committee to investigate and rule on the protest. No regular season games may be protested.

RULE 5: BATTING

MANDATORY TRAVEL DISTANCE IN ROOKIE, NOVICE AND T -BALLDIVISIONS: All fair batted balls must travel at least 6 feet in front of home plate to be considered in play.

BALLS OVER THE FENCE: A ball hit over the fence in the air is a home run. Any batted ball going under or bouncing over the outfield fence will be a ground rule double.

INFIELD FLY RULE: The infield fly rule is in effect in the Seniors and Majors Divisions only.

DROPPED THIRD STRIKE: The dropped third strike rule is in effect in the Senior Division only.

INTENTIONAL WALKS: Intentional walks are not permitted.

RULE 6: BASE RUNNING

BASE STEALING:

SENIORS: Leads and stealing are permitted for all bases.

MAJORS: Leads are permitted from all bases. Stealing of second and third base is permitted without limitation. Although a player may take a lead from third base, a runner on third may not advance home until the pitched ball crosses home plate. Thus, for example, a straight steal of home is not permitted, but a player may score on a wild pitch, a passed ball, a delayed steal of home or an overthrow from the catcher to the pitcher.

MINORS: No leads are permitted. Stealing of second and third base is permitted. No runner is allowed to leave any base until the pitched ball passes home plate. A runner on third can score only on a batted ball or a bases loaded walk or hit batter. A runner may not advance to home on a passed ball or a wild pitch.

ROOKIE, NOVICE, T -BALL: No leads or base stealing are permitted.

ADVANCEMENT OF RUNNERS:

ROOKIES: The play will be over when the defensive team returns the batted ball back into the infield. Once the ball crosses the plain from the outfield to the infield the ball will be considered dead when all plays are completed. All runners who have already taken at least one step towards the next base may continue at their own risk.

NOVICE AND T-BALL: Players may advance only one base at a time (singles only). However, the last batter empties the bases by tagging all bases and home plate.

OVERTHROWS IN ROOKIE, NOVICE AND T-BALLDIVISIONS: All overthrows to any base will result in a dead ball with no advancement by the runner.

COURTESY RUNNER FOR CATCHER: In the Senior, Majors and Minors divisions, it will be the manager's discretion to insert a courtesy runner only when the second out of the inning has been recorded and the catcher for the next inning is on base. The courtesy runner will be the last player to record a batted out.

FLAGRANT CONTACT/SLIDE OR VEER: If in the judgment of the umpire there is flagrant contact by the runner on a fielder, then that player will be called out and may be ejected from the game in the discretion of the umpire. Except at first base, all runners must slide or veer to the base when a play is made or there is a reasonable prospect of a play being made.

HEAD FIRST SLIDES:

SENIORS: Head first slides are permitted.

MAJORS AND MINORS: Head first slides are not permitted and a runner who slides head first is out. However, players are allowed to slide head first when attempting to return to a base.

ROOKIES, NOVICE AND T-BALL: No head first slides are permitted under any circumstances.

FAKE TAGS - There will be no fake tags allowed at any level.

RULE 7: PITCHING

ROOKIE DIVISION: All pitches shall be delivered from a pitching machine and not thrown by players or the coaches. If a pitching machine breaks down or is otherwise not available at the facility, the coaches shall pitch. The maximum number of pitches thrown to a batter via machine is seven (7). However, an at bat cannot end on a foul ball. If the batter does not hit a ball in fair territory, the batter is out. There are no walks.

NOVICE: The coaches pitch (underhand soft toss only). No more than three pitches shall be delivered to each player. If the batter does not hit the ball, then the batter hits from a tee.

T-BALL: There is no pitching. All hitting is from a tee.

TRIPS TO THE MOUND: The second trip to the mound in the same inning to the same pitcher will automatically result in the removal of that pitcher from the game as a pitcher only. A second trip to the mound cannot be made if the same batter is at bat when the first trip was made. EXCEPTION: Injury.

BALK PENALTY:

SENIORS: Each pitcher will receive one warning per game. Subsequent balks shall be enforced.

MAJORS: Each pitcher will receive two (2) balk warnings. The third offense for each pitcher will result in a penalty. The penalty will be a ball added to the count. No player picked off on a play on which the umpire issues a balk warning or calls a balk shall be called out. After a balk call, the manager may visit the mound to instruct the pitcher on the balk rule and it will not be considered a trip to mound.

PROHIBITIONS: A pitcher may not bring his pitching hand in contact with his mouth or lips while in the circle surrounding the pitching plate. The pitcher cannot wear a white long sleeve shirt underneath his uniform

QUICK PITCH: If the pitcher delivers a quick return pitch, the ball is dead.

PITCHING LIMITATIONS:

SENIORS: Each pitcher may pitch only 2 innings maximum per game (including playoff games suspended by inclement weather). Only one inning per game may be pitched by a 16 year old player.

MAJORS, MINORS: A pitcher may only pitch 2 innings maximum per game (including playoff games suspended by inclement weather). For the Majors division, 2 innings a game must be pitched by an 11 year old or multiple 11 year olds. For the Minors division, 2 innings of the first 4 innings per game must be pitched by a 9 year old or multiple 9 year olds. Breaking pitches of any sort are not allowed.

INNING DEFINED: For the purposes of the pitching limitation rules above,one pitch constitutes an inning.

HIT BATTERS: A pitcher who hits 3 batters in 1 inning or 5 batters during a game must be removed as a pitcher.

RULE 8:CONDUCT

COACHES: A team is limited to one manager, two coaches and a scorekeeper per game. All managers, coaches and scorekeepers must be in the dugouts or coaches boxes. (EXCEPTION: Rookie, Novice and T-Ball coaches can also be on the field when their team is on defense for instruction purpose only).

INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT: There will be NO SMOKING or any use of TOBACCO products on or around the playing fields. All smoking must be done in the parking areas. There will be NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES of any kind allowed on any of the complexes where a GTB team plays. There will be no swearing or other inappropriate language. Violations of this rule may result in disciplinary action by the Board.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE BEHAVIOR: The GTB Board reserves the right to expel from any game, or otherwise take disciplinary action against, any manager, coach, player or spectator for what it deems in its sole discretion to constitute unsportsmanlike behavior.

EJECTION OF COACHES: Any manager or coach ejected from a game will not be allowed to participate or attend the next game. If a coach or manager is ejected, the Board will review each case and determine whether there is a need for further action.

EJECTION OF PLAYERS: Any manager or coach ejected from a game will not be allowed to participate in the team's next game. If a player is ejected from a game, the Board will determine whether there is a need for further action.

MISUSE OF EQUIPMENT: Equipment may not be thrown or otherwise misused during a game. Any player or coach throwing equipment or misusing equipment may be ejected.

RULE 9: INCLEMENT WEATHER

GAME CANCELLATION PROCEDURES: The GTB President or his designee may cancel any game due to inclement weather or poor field conditions. Otherwise, both managers will be responsible for the cancellation of the game prior to its start. Any disagreements shall be resolved by the GTB President or his designee. If a game is cancelled, the managers shall immediately notify the Umpire Coordinator and the Snack Stand Coordinator.

TERMINATION OF GAMES IN PROGRESS: Once the game starts, the determination as to whether to terminate the game due to darkness or inclement weather is within the discretion of the umpire in the Senior Division and in the other divisions within the discretion of both managers (in consultation with the youth umpire). Any disagreements shall be resolved by the GTB President or his designee.

In regular season games in the Senior, Majors and Minors Divisions, if four (4) innings are completed (3.5 the home team is winning), the game is official.