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Rule clarifications
Framingham Baseball League:
Majors Division Playing Rules
(as of 04/14/2021)
League Composition
Purpose
Framingham Youth Baseball, Major League, is intended to provide a safe, fun atmosphere for all eligible youth to experience the game of baseball. This league is intended to be primarily instructional, providing every player the opportunity to participate and be exposed to different opportunities on the baseball field. In accordance with this, these rules have been established with the following key priorities:
1. Player and volunteer safety
2. Equal participation and opportunity
3. Player instruction and development
4. Competitive balance and fairness
5. Maintain structure without impeding player enjoyment
Coaches, Rosters and League Logistics
Coaches
· Failure of a coach to abide by and help enforce the following rules will result in: 1) a warning for the first offense, 2) an ejection of the Head Coach for the second offense.
· Each team may only have a maximum of 3 league approved field coaches for that team during a game. Parents, guardians, siblings and other guests must stay outside the dugout and off of the field during the game.
· A fourth coach, if that coach has been approved by the league, may be in the dugout for the purposes of monitoring the players not currently in the game. This coach should not be on the field at anytime.
· All coaches must remain in close proximity to the dugout entrance. A coach should not go further towards the foul line than the coach’s box in front of their dugout, and should not go closer to home plate than the dugout entrance. Exceptions to this are:
o Base coaching
o Mound visits
o Communicating with the umpire or opposing coach
o Checking on an injured player
o Pre and post game
Teams Rosters
· Teams will be composed of only registered players.
· Players will primarily be of the “baseball ages” (age of the player on September 1st of that year) of 9, 10 and 11. Exceptions to the age rule can occur with the approval of the FBL BOD.
· Team roster sizes will be set by the commissioner before the start of the player draft.
· Prior to the draft, each team is permitted one head coach and up to one assistant coach. Any dependent of a team coach (head and/or assistant) will be placed on that coach’s team.
· Teams will consist of 1) all eligible returning players from the same team and 2) newly drafted players.
Equipment/Dugout/Field
· Any player not active in the game must remain in the dugout.
· Batting helmets must have a cage/face protector.
· No equipment whatsoever should be in the field of play unless it is actively being used.
· Catchers must wear protective catching equipment and an athletic supporter during game play and when warming up any pitcher (regardless of their location i.e. on field, off field, bull pen, etc)
· If a portable mound is present on the field, the mound will be removed from the field and the permanent mound will be used.
· All coaches and players are expected to appear at fields unless officially notified by the league via the website, phone or text.
Call ups
· If a head coach is aware that a player or players will be absent from a game, he/she may request to call up an 8-year-old (only) from the Class A League.
· Note – The request for a call-up will go through the league commissioner, who will facilitate finding a call-up. Coaches MUST contact commissioner to obtain a call-up and NOT pursue this on their own.
Valid Game Day Rosters
· Every eligible team rostered player present must play, unless the player elects not to play.
· Each team must field a minimum of 8 players.
· If a team has less than 8 players present at the scheduled game time, that team has up to 15 minutes from the officially scheduled start time to reach a minimum of 8 eligible players.
· If a team is unable to field 8 eligible players at any time, that team shall forfeit the game. Forfeits will be recorded as a 6-0 result.
· If a team has 13 kids or less in their batting order:
o Each eligible player in attendance is required to play 4 defensive innings during the game.
o Coaches should distribute the playing time and allow players to play as many different positions as the player wants and it is safe to do so. Coaches should try to work all players to have at least two infield innings per a game, if it is safe for them to do so. A minimum of two of the required 4 innings must be in an infield position (the pitcher and catcher positions count for this requirement).
o No player is permitted to sit for more than two consecutive defensive innings (this includes extra innings).
· If a team has 14 or more kids in their batting order at any point during the game:
o Each eligible player in attendance is required to play 3 defensive innings during the game.
o Coaches should distribute the playing time and allow players to play as many different positions as the player wants and it is safe to do so. Coaches should try to work all players to have at least two infield innings per a game, if it is safe for them to do so. At least one of those innings must be in an infield position (the pitcher and catcher positions count for this requirement).
o No player is permitted to sit for more than three consecutive defensive innings (this includes extra innings).
· If a player arrives prior to the 3rd inning being started with 13 or less players or 4th inning with more than 13 players, then it is required of the coach to play that player the minimum number innings. It is not required that a coach play a player that arrives after the 3rd inning has started, but it is expected that a coach will attempt to get the player in and play him/her as many innings as possible.
· The minimum inning requirements for players are waived for games that are incomplete or shortened due to weather, darkness or other causes.
· Any violation of the playing time criteria (other than due to injury or other notable exceptions noted herein) results in a forfeit. Coaches from both teams must contact the league commissioner within 24 hours to report the incident.
· At the coach’s discretion a player may be “benched” for one game due to behavioral issues; NEVER due to performance. The commissioner must be notified within 24 hours of the game. A player may NOT be “benched” for more than one game, unless with commissioner approval.
Discipline
· All on field decisions by the umpire are final.
· Any action reported to the commissioner that is not in accordance with the Framingham Baseball Code of Conduct, or the spirit of the league mission statement will be brought by the commissioner to the FBL Disciplinary Committee for further review.
· Any in game ejection, by player or coach will be subject to an automatic one game suspension for the first offense. Further ejections by the same individual will be brought to the FBL Disciplinary Committee for further review.
Game Play
Substitutions
· A player may not be removed from a game during the progress of an inning except as the result of an injury.
· After one pitch, a batter may not be substituted for except due to injury.
· There will be no pinch runners except in the case of injury or ejection or curtesy runner for the catcher.
· A player removed from pitching in not permitted to reenter as a pitcher.
· Substitutions for injured or ejected players will not be subject to the standard substitution rules as specified. The home plate umpire will resolve any substitution questions in this case.
· If a pinch/curtesy runner is needed due to injury or ejection, the last player from that team to make an out must be used as the pinch runner.
Batting Order
· Each coach must exchange a written batting order prior to the start of the game.
· Each team is required to use all eligible players in a continuous batting order throughout the entire game, regardless if they are playing in the field or on the bench for any given inning.
· Late arrivals are required to be added to the end of the batting order. Players not present at the time of lineup exchange can not be put into the batting order until they arrive.
· Teams will not be penalized with an out should a player be forced to leave the game due to injury or prior commitment. With the exception if a player is ejected from a game, then that player’s team shall take an out each time that player’s position occurs in the lineup.
· If a batter is injured or otherwise unable to complete their at bat, the last player to make an out steps in and inherits the count of the batter. In the event that the previous player making an out is:
o On base
o Unable to bat for any reason
o Within the next 5 batters due up
o There have been no outs recorded for that team
Then use the most recent prior batter not currently on base to continue the at bat.
Starting and Ending a Game
· For regular season games: No new inning may begin after 1:45 minutes after the first pitch. The game shall have a 2:15 hard time limit. For example, typical weekday games should start at 5:45PM. No inning should start after 7:30PM. The game will have a hard stop of 8:00PM. These time limits are to be applied and enforced to any official regular season game, including weekends.
· An inning starts the moment the preceding inning ends. The umpire’s clock is official. If there is no umpire clock, then defer to the home team’s coach acts as the official time-keeper. Both teams should note the official start time.
· At 1.5 hours into a game, each team’s coach should confer with the head umpire to determine when to implement last inning scoring rules.
· NOTE: In the spirit of fair play, no member of either team, their coaches, should deliberately delay the progress of an inning in order to take advantage of this rule. The game will be subject to protest by the opposing team.
Official Game
· A game consists of 6 complete innings of play. If the game is tied after 6 innings, extra innings may be played if time permits.
· A game becomes official once 4 innings (or 3 ½ innings if home team is ahead) have been completed.
· Regular season games may end in a tie.
· Mercy Rule- Any game with a 15 run differential after 4 complete innings (or 3 ½ innings if home team is ahead) will be stopped immediately and recorded as a complete game.
· If a game is started and becomes suspended before the number of innings required to be an official game it will be resumed at the point of interruption. The game will not be replayed in its entirety. Both teams must mark their books with game status.
o A suspended game picks up exactly where it left off and will be continued at the next available date as determined by the commissioner.
o Resumed games will continue with the same lineup.
o Pitchers who pitched and were removed are not eligible to pitch in the resumed game.
o For purposes of pitching limits, the resumed game will be treated as a new game. For example, if the current pitcher in the game may continue the resumed game and pitcher to their 75 pitch limit.
· Players who are no longer at the game will have their position in the batting order skipped. Players who are at the resumed game but were not at the previous game will be placed at the end of the batting order.
· This section applies to regular season games only: In the event that a game is called in the middle of an inning after the required number of innings needed for an official game is met, the game shall be determined based on the following guidelines:
o If the game is suspended in the bottom of the inning, and the home team is leading, then the home team shall be declared the winner.
o If the score is tied, and the home was losing at the end of the previous inning, the game shall be recorded as a tie.
o For all other situations, the score from the previously completed inning will be used.
On Field Postponement
· As the weather or field conditions dictate and prior to the first pitch, the home team coach must make the final decision regarding the ability to start game.
· Once a game has been started it is the decision of the umpire whether or not a game should continue.
· The home team coach is responsible for notifying the commissioner that a game needs to be rescheduled or continued.
Pitching
· All players on the roster are eligible to pitch.
· The pitcher’s foot must be in contact with the rubber at the start of his/her motion, thus pitching off to the side of the rubber is not allowed.
· There are NO intentional walks via a declaration to send a batter to first. Pitchers must throw a pitch and catchers must remain in a squat in the catcher’s box until the pitch is released (or a NO PITCH will be called by the umpire). If a pitcher starts their windup and then stops without delivering to home, an illegal pitch is called by the umpire and a warning is issued. Subsequent violations from same pitcher will result in a “ball” being called each time.
· There are no balks.
Pitch Count
· Maximum pitches for any pitcher is 75, the exception being that a pitcher may finish a batter started if pitch count was under 75 at time that batter was started.
· Required rest for pitch counts:
o If player pitches 66 or more pitches in a day, 4 calendar days of rest
o If player pitches 51-65 pitches in a day 3 calendar days of rest
o If player pitches 36-50 pitches in a day 2 calendar days of rest
o If player pitches 1-35 pitches in a day 1 calendar day of rest
Coaches need to check pitch count after each ½ inning. If a discrepancy exists, then we go to the books and if there is still a disagreement, the home team’s counter will govern.
Note: Bookkeeper MUST track ALL pitches including foul balls. The pitch count recorder must provide the current pitch count for any pitcher when requested by either coach or any umpire. However, the HEAD COACH is responsible for knowing when his/her pitcher must be removed. The league will purchase counters for each team.
Home coach needs to confirm pitch counts with the Visiting coach at end of game. The Home coach must report game score and pitch counts on league web site within 24 hours of the completion of game.
Coaches are reminded that they should be mindful of players who pitch for other leagues and consider the amount of pitches thrown in total when considering pitcher usage in the FBL.
Pitching and Catching the Same Game
Coaches are encouraged to not have players pitch and catch in the same game.
Violation of Pitching Rules
Violation of the pitching rules (rest of pitchers/etc.) can result in the offending team forfeiting the game. The league commissioner will educate the coaches as to the particulars regarding pitch rule violation and has final say as to the interpretation of each situation and the penalty. Any coach who violates these pitch count rules will get a warning on the first offense. The coach will be suspended for a game on the second violation.
Warm-ups
Pitchers should be warming up on the side and throwing the minimum amount of pitches required to warm up properly. COACHES need to police this.
Players entering the game to pitch are permitted a maximum of 8 warm-up pitches. Players who pitched the prior inning are permitted 5 warm-up pitches.
Note: Be sure to have catchers ready with equipment PRIOR to the last out being made whenever possible. Coaches need to police this well so as not to stall the games progress.
Mound Visits and Substitutions
The Coach may make 1 trip per inning to the mound with a maximum of 2 trips per game per pitcher. Exceeding these limits requires the pitcher to be removed from the position (i.e. on the third visit in a game or on the second visit in an inning, the pitcher must be moved to another position and can ONLY be replaced by a player on the field at that time).
Note: Coaches who leave the determined coaches areas (see Coaches section above) and approach the foul lines while their team is in the field to speak to their pitcher or fielders may be assessed a mound visit as determined by the umpire.
Note: A visit WILL be assessed any time a coach crosses the foul line (whether a player is present or not), except in the case of an injury.
If a substitute enters a game for an injured player he/she cannot pitch that inning.
Bunting
· Once a batter squares to bunt, the batter may not rest and take a full swing (i.e. Slashing). The player may take the bat back to take the pitch or may follow through on the bunt but may not take a full swing. The penalty is an immediate dead ball, the batter is out and all players return to the bases held at time of pitch.
Base Runners
· Any runner is out when the runner does not slide or attempt to avoid contact with a fielder who has the ball or attempting to make a play on the ball. If contact occurs between the runner and fielder at a base, the runner shall be called out.
o Exception – a batter running to first base is not required to slide, however if the runner, in the opinion of the umpire, intentionally causes contact with the fielder while running to first, the batter will be called out.
· In the case of a double play situation, if the runner into second is called out for not sliding and the lack of a slide causes interference in the fielder’s opportunity to attempt to turn a double play, the batter-runner will also be called out.
· If a base runner 1) makes contact with a fielder making a play on a batted ball or 2) intentionally tries to distract a fielder making a play on the ball, the batter will be called out and the runners will return to their previous bases.
· If a fielder is in the base path without the ball and not attempting to field the ball, and 1) the runner collides with the fielder or 2) the runner has to alter their route to the base, the fielder may be subject to an obstruction call by the umpire.
o Example – The third basemen is in the base path between 2nd and 3rd, making no play on the ball, and no attempt to get out of the baseline. A runner advancing between 2nd and 3rd has to alter their path to avoid the fielder. The umpire may call obstruction.
o Example – A catcher is standing up the line in the base path between the home plate and third waiting for a throw. The runner, attempting to avoid contact has to run out of the baseline. In doing so, the catcher then receives the ball and tags the runner from behind. The umpire may rule obstruction.
Note: Once an obstruction is indicated by the umpire, the ball is dead. Runners will be awarded the base they were going to. If, in the opinion of the umpire, runners would have attained more than one base, then the umpire can indicate this and award more than the base the runners were going to.
Example: A runner between 1st and 2nd is obstructed as the ball is still rolling to the fence. The umpire calls the obstruction and may award the runner 3rd; if in the umpire’s opinion the runner would have made it to that base.
· If the base moves when the runner slides and the runner loses contact with the base the runner is considered safe, and should not move until time is called. If the runner moves to the base he/she is still safe in the opinion of the umpire the player was not attempting to advance.
· Any runner is out when the runner slides head first into a base. The only exception to this rule is returning to a base previously occupied.
Batting Out of Order
· If a player bats out of order and the opposing team recognizes this and brings it to the attention of the umpire:
o If the out of order player is still batting at the time attention is called to the infraction, that player steps out and the correct player steps in and inherits the count of the out of order batter.
o If attention is called to the infraction PRIOR to a pitch being thrown to the NEXT batter, the player that batted out of order is out and all baserunners return to their previous base (if applicable) prior to the out-of-order player’s at bat.
· If the infraction is not called attention to before a pitch is thrown to a subsequent batter, there is no change. The batter that was out of order remains where he/she is and play continues. There is no recourse for the opposing coach if the infraction is not called out prior to a pitch being thrown to any subsequent batter after the player that batted out of order.
Stealing
· A runner may not leave the base until the pitched ball passes home plate.
· There is no cap on stealing bases or advancing on passed balls.
EXCEPTION: Players shall not advance bases via stolen base or pass ball if the team is up by 10 runs.
· There will be no limit on stealing home. But coaches are urged to not abuse this rule. (The goal is to get players aware of the possibility of the steal of home.)
· Advancing to any base on a thrown ball from the catcher back to the pitcher after a pitch will not be allowed, even if the ball is overthrown.
Scoring
· The inning ends when 3 outs are recorded or 5 runs have been scored, whichever comes first.
· In the final inning (which is the 6th, or otherwise declared by the umpire due to time constraints), the game will be played with “unlimited runs”, meaning that there is no 5 run per inning cap. Coaches should discuss with umpire timing for the last inning and a determination of the last inning should be reached BEFORE the inning. Umpire has final say in this matter.
· The Mercy Rule and Game Duration previously discussed supersede these last inning scoring rules
Miscellaneous
· There is no advancing to first on a dropped third strike.
· “Infield fly” rule is in use.
· A “courtesy runner” will be allowed. This is when the catcher for the next half of inning is on base with two outs. This is optional at the coach’s discretion, and the sole purpose is to allow the catcher to be ready sooner. See substitution rules above. The batting team should have their substitute runner ready before asking to make the substitution.
Protesting a Game
· Protest must be made at the time of the issue and prior to the next pitch. If an issue comes up and the coach does not call attention to it with the umpire prior to the next pitch being thrown, then there can be no protest.
· If attention is called to an issue at the proper time, the coach must then have the umpire sign the game-book of record (the HOME book) noting a protest and then BOTH team coaches must also sign and the game continues, unless the commission can immediately be reached, to help deal with the issue real-time.
· The protesting coach must then submit a detailed description of the protest: date and time of game, coaches and umpire involved, what the protest is and any other pertinent information. The document must be submitted to the protest committee within 24 hours of the games end. The protest committee consists of the league vice president, the league commissioner and umpire and chief.
Post Season
Playoff Eligibility (Player)
· A player is only eligible for post-season playoffs play if they played in ½ of their team’s regularly scheduled spring games, with exceptions being made if legitimate injury or illness was the cause of the majority of the missed games. If there is any question, the commissioner and/or Board of Directors will determine eligibility.
Playoff Format
· Teams will be seeded as outlined in these rules based on regular season results.
· The playoffs will consist of a double elimination tournament.
· For each game prior to the “World Series”, the team with the highest seed entering the playoffs will be the home team.
· Responsibilities for field preparation, scorekeeping and Snack Shack duties will function as outline during the regular season.
· The final two teams remaining will play a best of three “World Series” with the team without a loss in the tournament functioning as the home team for games one and three, and the team with one loss as the home team in game two.
· Final playoff brackets and schedules will be provided by the commissioner before the conclusion of the regular season.
Game Duration
· There is no time limit in post season games; games will be played until 6 innings are completed. Games that are suspended will be continued at the point of suspension.
Tie Breakers
· Seeding for the post season shall be determined by winning percentage.
· In order to seed teams for playoffs and the World Series the following sequence will determine the positioning of teams with identical wins and losses. These tie breakers are to be applied in order.
Two Way Ties
· Head to head competition
· Least runs allowed head to head
· Most runs scored head to head
· Least runs allowed over entire schedule
· Coin flip by the Commissioner
Three or More Way Ties
The above sequence is applied. As soon as a tie is broken, the winner of the tie is the next seed and any remaining teams begin the tie breaking sequence again from the top, until all ties have been broken.
Player Playing Time
· Regular season rules apply.
·
Post Season Pitching Rules
· Pitch counts and catcher/pitcher restrictions are enforced per regular season rules.
EXCEPTION: A pitcher who enters the game and pitches 15 or less pitches will be able to pitcher the following day with 0 calendar days rest.
Draft
· This draft applies only to players that are new to the division and playing them on a team. Players who were in the division the prior year and have not aged out of the division, will remain on the same team as the prior year.
· The new player draft will be run as a "SNAKE Draft", in odd numbered rounds, the draft order will be ascending, starting with draft position 1. In even rounds, the draft order will be descending, starting with the last pick in the previous round.
· Order of the draft will be as follows:
o Teams did not qualify for playoffs (if some teams do not qualify for playoffs), in reverse order of regular season seeding.
o Teams grouped by round of playoff elimination. Earliest elimination drafts first. For teams eliminated in the same round, reverse order of regular season seeding.
o If a loser bracket was used, the loser bracket runner up has the third to last selection.
o World series runner up.
o World series champion.
· Prior to the start of the draft, all players new to the division that are sons, daughters or dependents of the head coach and/or assistant coach(s) and players new to the division that are siblings of returning players will be assigned a draft round, with consideration given to the teams draft order. These players will be considered an automatic draft pick when that teams selection occurs in the draft. No other team my draft those players. The final decision of the draft round given to a player is the sole discretion of the commissioner.
· No trades are permitted, either for players or draft picks.
· “Carpooling” and “being with friends” requests are NOT considered MANDATORY reasons for drafting players. We encourage coaches to honor such requests when the request does not impact our league parity. These requests must have the unanimous agreement of all coaches in the division. The commissioner has final decision and will be the tie-breaker if needed.
· No collusion between coaches is permitted.
· The roster size of teams will be communicated before the start of the draft by the commissioner. Each team will be required to draft players until the specified number of players as decided by the commissioner is filled by the team. If the combination of registered returning players and newly drafted players is fulfilled, the team will no longer make selections in the draft and their draft position will be skipped in further rounds.
· In the event that an uneven number of players are required by each team (for example, half of the teams require 12 players, and the other half 13), the higher number roster sizes will be required to be fulfilled before a team is allowed to discontinue drafting (ie, in the above scenario, if team A makes a selection that brings their roster to 12, then team B makes a selection that brings their team to 12, and one more team needs to have 13 players, team B will make their next round selection to get to 13 players.
Coaching Responsibilities
· Pre-Season
o All head coaches, assistant and bench coaches must read and agree to the FBL Code of Conduct. (https://www.framinghambaseball.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1328207)
o Each manager may submit to the league commissioner any number of assistant coaches to the roster (limit of two for purposes of pre-draft player rostering). All coaches and assistants must be approved by the commissioner and the board and undergo a CORI background check prior to the season per FBL Bylaws.
o All parents must acknowledge the Code of Conduct and must return that document to the Head Coach, or agree to the Code of Conduct in a manner approved by the Board of Directors.
o Coaches will attend any required pre-season meetings or clinics as communicated by the commissioner.
o Coaches will obtain before the season and return at season’s end their team’s equipment.
· In-Season
o Each team coach will contact all team parents/players to inform them they are on their team, and including coaches contact information, games dates/times and practices dates/times.
o Contact the commissioner to request additional practice field time, in game issues, or violations of the league’s Code of Conduct, or needs to reschedule games.
o Coaches must ensure at least one approved coach is at the field with the team equipment at least 30 minutes prior to game start.
· In-Game
o Coaches must assist the umpire and other league representatives to ensure the safety of all players, coaches, umpires and spectators.
o No person shall represent a team on the field without approval of the Board of Directors.
o Each team should designate a representative to keep score and pitch counts for their team.
o The coaches/parents of the home team are expected to arrive at the field prior to the start of the game to perform any necessary field activities (rake the field, chalk foul lines, place bases, etc.).
o The home team is responsible to find a volunteer to operate the scoreboard at the field if one is operable there.
o The home team is responsible for pre-game field preparation (chalk lines, raking).
o The home team at Carter Field is also responsible for finding volunteers to run the Snack Shack.
Rules Clarification
Game Time/Duration
Q - There is a weekend game, with no games scheduled immediately after our game. Do the game time limits still apply?
A - Yes
Q - Our game started late due to issues with the umpire. Is our time limit extended?
A - Yes
Playing time/Lineup
Q - If a player leaves, do we take an out when that position comes up??
A - No. Only if a player leaves due to ejection will an out be applied for the batters place in the lineup.
Stealing/Base Running
Q - Can a runner take home on an overthrow of third base on a steal?
A - Yes. Runners may advance at their own risk. The only situation where a runner shall not advance is from third to home on a throw from the catcher back to the pitcher (delayed steal). If the catcher attempts to throw to another base (such as a runner stealing second in a first and third situation) the runner on third may attempt to advance home.
Q - Is there leading allowed in the Majors?
A - No. The runner must maintain contact with the base until the pitch crosses home plate. If the runner leaves the base early and steals a base, the umpire shall call time and have the runner return to the base. If the umpire deems that the runner left early on a ball put in play, at the umpires discretion they may rule the runner out (if leaving early affected a force out at a base for example) or have the runner return to an earlier base (for example, if the runner leaving early caused the runner to score, the umpire can have the have the runner return to third).
Game Rule
Q - Is the infield rule in affect?
A - Yes.
Q - Can the batter advance on a drop third strike?
A - No.