CROWN COLONY 

BABE RUTH DIVISION RULES

Other than the following league-specific rules, the rules of Babe Ruth Baseball within the rulebook of that particular year shall apply.

AVOIDING CONTACT   

• Players are not required to slide at any base, but they must avoid contact. They cannot leap. If they make contact with a catcher making a play, it must be with a slide.
• A runner at home plate or any base that intentionally and maliciously makes contact with a defensive player in the area will be called out and ejected from the game. However, there is umpire discretion in the ruling.
• Leaping will be called an automatic out.
• If a runner is in the path of a throw, they must slide immediately or peel off out of the way. 
• If the runner directly impedes a throw, the runner and the batter shall be called out. However, there is umpire discretion in the ruling.
• If the runner is not close enough to merit a slide, they must peel away from the baseline. This rule is for the protection of the base runner.
  

BATS

• All non-wood bats must be certified and marked BBCOR .50 or have a USA bat marking.
• All wood bats are allowed.
• Bats may not exceed 34 inches in length, and the bat barrel may not exceed 2-5/8 inches in diameter.
• All aluminum/alloy barrel bats and all composite handle (only) aluminum/alloy barrels are allowed.
  
• No BPF 1.15 bats are permitted.
• If any bat cannot be clearly identified for its make and model to determine the barrel composition, then the bat should be removed from the game.
  

BATTING OUT OF TURN

• Rules prohibit the umpire and the scorekeeper from calling to attention the fact that a player is batting out of turn.
• When a player bats out of turn, the proper batter is the player called out, if the opposing team makes an appeal at the correct time. The correct time to make an appeal regarding batting out of turn is after the improper batter has completed his time at bat and before the first pitch to the next batter.
• If an improper batter completes his at bat and no appeal is made before a pitch to the next batter, the results of the improper batter’s time at bat becomes legal.
  

CATCHERS

• Catchers must wear a protective cup.

GAME LENGTH

• A regulation game shall consist of seven (7) innings (if time allows) or at least four (4) innings if the game is called due to time constraints. No new innings at 1:45 and kill time at 2:00.
• The time clock for all games will start at the game time that is assigned in order to stay on schedule. The game shall not start earlier than the assigned time unless both coaches and the umpire agree to start early. If teams do not start on time, no time is added at the end to compensate for full game time. Example: The umpire is ready to start the game at 5:00, the assigned time, but both teams are still warming up. The umpire will still start the game timekeeping at 5:00 and no new innings will be at 7:00. 
•   Any team purposely delaying the start of the game by more than five (5) minutes will forfeit the game.
•  Tie Game – In order for a game to be declared a tie game by the umpire, it must be a regulation game i.e. three-and-a-half (3½) or four (4) innings must have been played.
•  Time between innings should be no more than two (2) minutes or six (6) warm-up pitches, whichever comes first. 
•  The umpire has control of the game and can call the game due to unsafe conditions.
  
  

MINIMUM NUMBER OF PLAYERS

• A minimum of seven (7) players are required to start a game. You have until five minutes after game start time to field a team of seven (7) players or the game will be called a forfeit. No automatic outs will be recorded for player eight (8) and player nine (9) if the team does not have players for these positions.
• All divisions play with a maximum of nine (9) players on the field. Teams are allowed to use players from lower division to complete a team of nine (9) only if there are less than nine (9) players from their own team in attendance. If a team can field nine (9) players using players from lower divisions, the lower division player(s) shall not continue to play on the field but may remain in the batting order if a registered team player arrives after the game starts. Teams who invite up players from lower divisions shall not encourage their own players not to show up for their game. If this occurs, a coach will be suspended for the season.
•   If a player started the game and has to leave early, their turn in the batting order will be skipped and no out recorded.
  

PITCHING

• A pitcher can throw up to 95 official pitches per day.
• If a player pitches 1-25 pitches in a day, zero (0) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 26-40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 41-75 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.
• EXCEPTION: If the pitcher reaches the maximum pitch count limit while facing a batter, s/he may continue to pitch until the batter reaches base or is put out.
• Pitchers once removed from the mound may not return as pitchers.
• If an illegal pitcher is put into the game a forfeit will be called against the team.
• Managers and Coaches may call a time out to obtain a pitch count from the official scorekeeper at any time. 
• A legal (official) pitch is to a batter.
• Coaches are strongly encouraged to keep pitchers at low pitch counts early in the season and build their strength up over the course of the season which allows for higher pitch counts and longer outings.
  

PLAY

• Lead offs allowed.
• Dropped third strike in effect.
• Use a two-out runner for pitcher and catcher when changing pitchers. The runner will be the last recorded player out, whether that was a strike out or put-out.

RAIN OUTS

• Rain outs will not be rescheduled. However, the Board will use discretion in case it has been a very wet spring. If granted that rain out games will be played in a given division, then all rain out games must be played in that division.
  

RUN RULES

• Half inning ends on the 7th run regardless of the result of the play.
• If four and a half innings have been played, and the home team is ahead by ten (10) runs or more, then the game will automatically be called. If five innings have been played, and the winning team is ahead by ten (10) runs, then the game will automatically be called.
  

SCOREKEEPERS

• Each team must provide a scorekeeper for each game. If the assigned team does not provide a scorekeeper, the game will be recorded as a forfeit, but will still be played.
  
  

SHOES

• Players are allowed to wear metal cleats.
• However, no metal cleats are allowed on the pitcher’s mound. Pitchers must wear non-metal cleats or regular shoes.

STARTING LINEUPS

• All players are in the batting lineup regardless of whether they played in the field during the defensive inning.
• Submit lineup, including all available subs, to scorekeeper and opposing coach and/or scorekeeper fifteen (15) minutes before game time.
•  Lineups must include player’s full name, uniform number and position.
•  Notify scorekeeper of all substitutions.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Free substitutions in the field; however, the batting line-up cannot change.
• You may field nine (9) players and must bat all players.
• No Player shall sit out two (2) defensive innings in a row and no player shall sit more than two (2) innings in a game. An on field coach may call time out to ask the official scorekeeper for information on defensive substitutions. If a violation of this rule is confirmed, the team of the sitting player must insert the player immediately into the defense and an immediate automatic out will be recorded, regardless of whether the offending team is on offense or defense.
• If a lower division player plays up a division as a fill-in, they can play in any position except pitcher.
• If a lower division player is asked to play up a division they can play on the field till the 9th regular team player arrives. At this point in time the lower division player must return to the dugout and can only bat in the position the lineup card stated in the beginning of the game. The late regular division player will bat at the bottom of the lineup.
• If a lower division player is called up and the regular team ninth player shows up prior to the start of the game the lower division player can only bat. Please do not abuse calling up players to just bat.
• If a team is short one or more players, they may ask another team within the division to borrow players for the game.
• If a borrowed same-division player is asked to play, they can play on the field till the 9th regular team player arrives. At this point the borrowed same-division player must return to the dugout and can only bat in the position the lineup card stated in the beginning of the game. The late regular division player will bat at the bottom of the lineup.
• If a borrowed same-division player is asked to play and the regular team ninth player shows up prior to the start of the game the lower division player can only bat. Please do not abuse borrowing players to just bat.
• All called up and borrowed same-division players must be registered Crown Colony players in the current season. 
• If a player must leave the game early or is injured there is no penalty, (unless the number of players fall below seven (7), then the forfeit rule would apply).
• If a player is injured and cannot continue playing and there are no replacement players available (i.e. the team is left with eight (8) total players), the team of eight (8) shall not be penalized by recording an out.
  

SUSPENDED GAMES

• Time or weather-related suspended games will be scheduled for a make-up date if possible.
• All players on the team roster can play in a suspended game even if they were not there for the original game.
  

TRIPS TO THE MOUND

• The second trip to the mound to the same pitcher in the same INNING by manager or coach will cause that pitcher’s automatic removal from the game as pitcher.

VALID COACH

• Any responsible person that presented a Cal Ripken Coaching Certificate may substitute for manager, coach, or umpire but must adhere to league rules regarding behavior.
• A team may have no more than three (3) coaches on the field or in the dugout.
• Coaches cannot touch runners or fielders while the ball is in play.