Playing Rules for Intramural Divisions

April 30, 2009

1. PURPOSE. These rules shall be used to play games for all in-house divisions of the Intramural Program. All divisions shall follow American League Baseball rules except where modified by these rules herein.

2. SPORTSMANSHIP. The Club organizes games for the purpose of CHILDREN to learn and play baseball. All ADULTS involved in Club activities shall remember our child-oriented mission at all times before, during, and after games. All players, coaches, managers, umpires, officials, and spectators shall adhere to and promote the Club’s policies on sportsmanship. The umpire shall have the authority to make ejections from the field area and/or stop play (temporarily or end a game) in order to control un-sportsmanlike conduct. Both managers shall assist the umpire in controlling situations.

3. GENERAL RULES.

3.1. Parking. All cars must be parked in designated areas. There shall be no parking on the field or field area.

3.2. Trash. Both teams are responsible for cleaning the field, benches, and field area of trash and debris.

3.3. Smoking and Alcohol. Smoking, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol are prohibited on all fields.

3.4. Concessions. The home team shall provide a volunteer for the concession stand for each game played at a Club field with a concession stand that is open, or forfeit the game.

3.5. Player’s Attire. Players shall wear their complete uniform (hat, shirt, pants) in order to play in a game. Shorts are not permitted. Plastic cleats are recommended for all age groups; tennis shoes are acceptable. Sandals, open-toed shoes, and metal spikes are not permitted. All male players must wear a protective athletic cup. All fielders must wear a fielding glove. The batter, all runners, and on-deck batter must be wearing a batting helmet. Players may not wear any unsafe or distractive clothing or articles (wristbands, necklaces, etc.).

3.6. Bench Area. Only players, coaches, and managers are allowed in the bench area. Bat boys or girls are not permitted.

4. UMPIRES.

4.1. Plate Umpire. The VP-Intramural and/or Dir-Umpires shall schedule one plate umpire for each game. The home team shall pay the plate umpire, or forfeit the game. The plate umpire shall have exclusive authority to interpret these rules and apply ad hoc rules as necessary.

4.2. Base Umpire. A base umpire is not necessary, and may be used only if both managers and the plate umpire agree. If used, a base umpire shall not be paid.

4.3. No Umpire. If an umpire does not show, both teams shall provide a volunteer to umpire the game, alternating at the plate each inning. The home team shall pay the volunteers a combined total equal to what the scheduled umpire would have received.

4.4. Questioning an Umpire. Only a manager may question an umpire about a rule interpretation. There shall be no questioning an umpire’s judgment call (ball/strike, safe/out). After a game, the VP-Intramural may review rule interpretations primarily for the purpose of preventing future misinterpretations.

5. FIELD SETUP.

Division	Bases	Pitching Rubber	Pitching Circle	Fair Ball Arc	Base Path Marks	Batter’s Box
8U	50 feet	38 feet	7 feet	8 feet	Yes	3x6 feet
10U	60 feet	44 feet*	No	No	No	3x6 feet
12U	70 feet	48 feet*	No	No	No	3x6 feet
14U	80 feet	54 feet	No	No	No	4x6 feet

5.1. Pitching Rubber. For the 10U and 12U divisions, the rubber may be set at 46 feet and 50 feet, respectively, to accommodate fields set up for the Travel Program.

5.2. Fair Ball Arc. The arcs shall be centered on the back of home plate.

5.3. Base Path Marks. One base path mark each shall be made halfway between the 1^st and 2^nd bases, 2^nd and 3^rd bases, and 3^rd base and home plate. These marks shall be at least 2 feet in length.

6. PRE-GAME.

Time	Activity
30-20 minutes prior	Home team prepares the field.
20-10 minutes prior	Home team takes infield practice.
10-0 minutes prior	Visiting team takes infield practice.
5-0 minutes prior	Manager Meeting.

6.1. Home Team Responsibilities. The home team shall prepare the field for play (rake, set bases, line the field, etc.). The home team shall sit on the 3^rd base side of the field and provide a new ball for each game. The home team shall ensure all field equipment is returned to storage areas when the game is over.

6.2. Visiting Team Responsibilities. The visiting team shall assist the home team when field conditions require significant work (wet field, etc.). The visiting team shall sit on the 1^st base side of the field and provide a good back-up ball for each game.

7. GAME LENGTH.

Division	Regular Innings	Minimum Innings	Extra Innings	Time Limit	Slaughter Rule
8U	6	3	No	1:30 hours	No
10U	6	4	Yes	1:45 hours	12 runs
12U	7	4	Yes	2:00 hours	12 runs
14U	7	4	Yes	2:15 hours	12 runs

7.1. Complete Games. Teams shall always attempt to play the regular number of innings, except where other limits apply. A game shall be called complete when the minimum number of complete innings has been played. A complete game shall always end in a win, loss, or a tie. An incomplete game shall always be made up in its entirety.

7.2. Complete Innings. If play stops in the middle of an inning (weather, darkness, etc.), the inning shall be called complete if the visiting team has finished batting and the home team is in the lead. If play stops in the middle of the Minimum Inning with the visiting team having finished batting and the score tied, the home team may (but is not required to) accept the game as complete. In all other cases, an incomplete inning shall not be considered in determining if the game is complete. Runs scored in an incomplete inning are ignored when determining the score of a completed game.

7.3. Time Limits. No inning shall be allowed to start after the time limit has passed, regardless of the score. Innings already underway shall be completed, except for weather, darkness, etc.

7.4. Slaughter Rule. The slaughter rule shall be checked each inning after the minimum number of innings has passed.

7.5. Forfeit. A team shall forfeit a game when it does not have at least 8 players present at the field within 15 minutes of a scheduled start time, or at any point during a game. If both teams cannot field at least 8 players, the game shall be cancelled and not made-up.

8. INNING LENGTH. A half inning shall end when the fielding team puts three out, or when the batting team scores the limit of runs allowed per inning. No runs scoring on a play after the run limit has been reached shall count toward the score of the game. The umpire may declare any inning to be the last inning due to impending darkness, etc. All extra innings shall be treated as a last inning.

Division	Run Limit	Last Inning Limit
8U	5	Unlimited
10U	6	Unlimited
12U	7	Unlimited
14U	7	Unlimited

9. PITCHING.

9.1. 8U Division. All pitches shall be thrown by a coach pitcher who shall stand completely within the pitching circle during the entire pitch. The coach pitcher must avoid contact with a hit or thrown ball. The coach pitcher shall not speak to any player (offense or defense) or deceive players in any way.

9.2. Balks. There are no balks in the 10U and below divisions. In the 12U and 14U divisions, each pitcher shall receive a warning for his first balk of the game. Runners shall advance on all other balks.

9.3. Pitching Limits.

Division	Per Day Limit	Per Week Limit	30-hour Rest
10U	3 innings	7 innings	3 innings
12U	4 innings	10 innings	4 innings
14U	4 innings	10 innings	4 innings

9.3.1. Innings Pitched. A single (or more) pitch thrown in any inning shall equal one inning pitched. All innings pitched by a player in a single game must be consecutive.

9.3.2. Per Day Limit. If a team is playing two games in one day, a player may pitch in both games as long as the total number of innings pitched in all games is 3 innings or less.

9.3.3. Per Week Limit. The per-week limit shall be measured from Sunday morning through Saturday night.

9.3.4. 30-hour Rest. The 30-hour rest period shall be measured between scheduled start times.

9.3.5. 14U Division. For each team, 15 year olds may combine for no more than two innings per game. A single (or more) pitch thrown in an inning by any 15 year old shall count as one inning by a 15 year old. Examples: one 15 year old could pitch up to two innings; three 15 year olds could combine for two innings as long as they are all contained within those two innings.

10. BATTING AND RUNNING.

10.1. Batting Order. All teams in 8U, 10U, and 12U shall Bat the Roster. Teams in 14U may Bat the Roster or Bat Nine. Teams in 14U may use an Extra Hitter if they are Batting Nine.

10.1.1. Bat the Roster. All players are in the batting order whether they play in the field or not. If a player reports late to a game but prior to the start of the 3^rd inning, the player may be inserted at the end of the order. If a player reports after the start of the3rd inning, that player shall not play in the game. If a player leaves the game early who has not yet batted, that player may be removed from the order without penalty. If a player leaves who has already batted at least once, that player shall be out the first time he would otherwise have batted, unless the umpire verifies he left due to an injury on the field of play. Illness, or any other reason, shall not be a valid reason for removal without an out.

10.1.2. Bat Nine. Only the players playing in the field are in the batting order. Substitutions in the order must be announced to the opposing team prior to their entry in the game. All players must get at least one at bat during the game. Starters may re-enter the batting order, but only in their original spot. A substitute removed from the game shall not re-enter the game. An out shall be recorded for any spot in the lineup for which that team cannot bat a legal batter, whether for injury, illness, or other reason.

10.1.3. Extra Hitter. Prior to the start of a game, a team Batting Nine may add one player to the batting order as an Extra Hitter (EH). The EH shall be considered a fielding position for the purposes of moving fielders in the game. An out shall be recorded for the EH if that team cannot bat a legal EH, whether for injury, illness, or other reason.

10.2. Eight Batters. Any time a team has only 8 batters in a game, that team shall receive an out for the missing ninth batter every time, regardless of the batting order type.

10.3. 8U Division.

10.3.1. Pitches. Each batter shall receive up to 6 pitches. Strikes are recorded for missed swings, and foul balls with less than 2 strikes. The batter shall be out if he strikes out within 6 pitches, or he has not hit a fair ball within 6 pitches. A foul ball on the last pitch shall allow another pitch.

10.3.2. Fair Ball Arc. A ball hit in fair territory that does not completely pass the Fair Ball Arc shall be a foul ball.

10.4. Division Rules.

Division	Bunting	Sliding	Leading Off	Stealing	Dropped Third Strike	Pinch Runners
8U	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
10U	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
12U	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
14U	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

10.4.1. Bunting. In the 8U division, a deliberately attempted bunt shall be a foul ball.

10.4.2. Sliding. In the 8U division, the umpire may after warning call a runner out for sliding. In the 10U and above divisions, sliding is not required; however, a runner who does not slide and makes play-altering contact with a fielder in the act of making a play shall be called out. Any runner, sliding or not, who makes malicious contact with a fielder shall be called out and may be ejected from the game.

10.4.3. Leading Off. Leading off shall be defined as a runner not on a base when the pitcher is standing on the rubber with the ball. In the 8U and 10U divisions, the umpire may after warning call a runner out for leading off.

10.4.4. Stealing. In the 10U division, a runner may not leave a base until the ball has crossed the plate. The umpire shall send a runner back who is judged to have left early. The umpire may call a runner out who leaves early on a hit ball. A runner on third may not steal home on a clean exchange between pitcher and catcher (i.e. no passed ball and catcher’s throw-back to pitcher)

10.4.5. Dropped Third Strike. In the 12U and 14U divisions, the runner may attempt to reach first base when the catcher drops a third strike, unless first base is occupied with less than two outs.

10.4.6. Pinch Runners. A pinch runner may be used, without altering the batting order, for a catcher who is on base with two outs. If a team is Batting the Roster, the pinch runner must be the player who made the second out of that inning. If a team is Batting Nine, the pinch runner may be any player not in the batting order. If a team is Batting Nine and has no players on the bench, the pinch runner must be the player who made the second out of that inning.

11. FIELDING.

11.1. Positions. In the 8U division, a team shall normally field 10 players (4 outfielders). All other divisions field 9 players. If a team has only 8 players, it must field at least a pitcher and catcher.

11.2. Rotations. Each player must play at least three innings in the field (do not have to be consecutive) during a game. In the 8U division, no player may play more than 2 innings at any one position in a game, and each player must play every position by the end of the season. In the 10U and above divisions, each player must play in the infield at least 8 innings by the end of the season.

11.3. Stopping Play. In the 8U division, play is automatically stopped when any infielder, within the infield (umpire’s judgment), receives or carries a ball from the outfield and holds the ball up in the air. An outfielder must throw the ball to an infielder. At that point, runners who have completely passed the halfway mark shall advance to the next base; runners who have not shall be sent back. For infield throws, see 11.4 Overthrows.

11.4. Overthrows. In order to encourage throwing to a base: on a batted ball that stays within the infield – whether it touches a fielder or not – base runners shall not advance more than one base from the beginning of the play, regardless of whether the ball is overthrown or not. NOTE: If an infielder has effectively stopped play, his overthrow to a coach pitcher shall not result in extra bases.

12. COACHES. Coaches must be 18 years or older.

12.1. Pitching Coach. In the 8U division, the pitching coach shall not speak or gesture to aid the batter or runners once a ball has been hit (the 1^st and 3^rd base coaches must do all the coaching). The umpire may after warning call a batter or runner out who has been coached by the pitcher.

12.2. Defensive Coach. In the 8U division, one defensive coach is permitted on the field with the players during the first half of the season. The defensive coach may only speak to the defensive players.

12.3. Ball Contact with Coach. If an offensive coach deliberately makes contact with a fair ball (except in self defense) or attempts to deceive a fielder, the ball shall be dead and the lead runner shall be out. If it was in self defense, the ball shall be dead and ruled a no pitch. If a defensive coach deliberately touches a ball or attempts to deceive a runner, the ball shall be dead and all runners shall advance at least one base. In all other cases (incidental contact), the ball shall remain in play and play continues.

13. OFFICIAL SCORE. Each team shall have a scorekeeper keep score in a book supplied by the Club. Prior to the start of each game, the two scorekeepers shall exchange lineups. During and after the game, the scorekeepers shall verify the score. The winning team shall record a win on the Club’s website (www.leaguelineup.com/pasadenabaseball) – contact the VP-Intramural for login and password. Either tied teams may record a tie. The home team shall record a postponement or incomplete game. A team forfeiting in advance shall advise both the opposing manager and the VP-Intramural.

14. POSTPONEMENTS.

14.1. Field Conditions. Prior to the scheduled start of a game, both managers shall meet at the field to determine playability. If both managers do not agree to postpone a game (or if one team does not show up), then the umpire shall make the determination. The VP-Intramural may also make this determination. Once a game has begun, the plate umpire may stop a game due to weather, darkness, etc. The recommended wait time for rain, lightning, etc. is 15 minutes.

14.2. School or Church Functions. If a manager knows he cannot field at least 9 players due to a school or church function, he must contact the VP-Intramural at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled start time in order to have the game postponed. For any other reason, both the VP-Intramural and the opposing manager must agree to postpone or the game shall remain as scheduled.

14.3. Makeup Games. The VP-Intramural (not the managers) shall reschedule games based on field availability and team schedules. Games postponed in the final week of the season may not be made up if they are determined to be not obviously significant in the final determination for first place.

15. TOURNAMENT RULES. The following rules are modified for the in-house Intramural tournaments.

15.1. Complete Games (7.1). A game shall be called complete when the minimum number of complete innings has been played and a winner can be determined. An incomplete game (due to not enough innings or a tie game) shall be suspended, and made-up starting from the point at which the game was stopped. A made-up game from a suspended game continues with the same batting order as if it had not been suspended. A continued game shall be played as if it were on the same day it was suspended, to include the batting order, players in the game, and Per-Day pitching limits. Pitchers not allowed to pitch in the suspended game shall not be permitted to pitch in the continuation of the game. This rule shall not be interpreted to mean that a player can ever pitch more than the real Per-Day limit, or ignore other Required Rest Periods, in a real calendar day.

15.2. Time Limits (7.3). The time limit shall be ignored only if the game is tied.

15.3. Forfeit (7.5). If both teams cannot field at least 8 players, the game shall be made-up.

15.4. Pitching Limits (9.3.3 and 9.3.4). The Per-Week limit shall not be in effect, but the Required Rest Period shall be. Required rest periods shall be reset at the start of the tournament and at the start of the Championship game of the tournament.

15.5. Postponements (14.3). The VP-Intramural shall have the authority to reschedule games in order to complete the tournament schedule, without regard to individual team commitments outside of the tournament.