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Rules of Play (2008) The Local Rules of Play have been updated for 2008. Please click here to view them in Adobe Reader format.
LOCAL RULES OF PLAY1. GENERAL RULES 1.1 The Vice Presidents of each league shall appoint the managers for his or her league upon approval of the League President. Prior to such approval and appointment, the names of those persons selected shall be brought before the Board for discussion and review. 1.2. All managers must be at least 21 years of age. All coaches must be at least 18. Exceptions may be made with the approval of the League VP and Board Executive Committee. Qualified younger people may act as assistants during practices and instructional games. 1.3. Unsportsmanlike behavior of any player, manager, coach or spectator can result in that person's being ejected from the game site, at the discretion of the umpire or current Board member. Conduct that is considered unsportsmanlike is set forth in the Official Little League Rules Booklet and shall also include the throwing of or other improper use of equipment, abusive language, and any unwarranted roughness or behavior. 1.4. Any player who intentionally throws a bat or helmet will be ejected from the game at the time of such action. When these actions are deemed unintentional by the game umpire, the player in question will be given a warning and explanation of the consequences by the umpire. Any subsequent actions of the same nature by the same person will result in ejection from the game. 1.5. Individuals, signs, animals, or any other distracting or disturbing elements are not permitted behind the plate backstop or in the vicinity of the team's benches. All individuals must be restricted to the areas behind first and third bases. ENFORCEMENT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF UMPIRES, MANAGERS, COACHES, AND BOARD MEMBERS. 1.6. Each male player in the League must wear both an athletic supporter and groin cup during all games and practices or he will not be allowed to play. 1.7. Managers and coaches (base coaches excepted) must remain in their team's bench area at all times, with exceptions granted only by the game umpire. Failure to observe this rule can result in ejection from the game site.
1.8. There will be no trading of rostered players at any time.
1.9. There shall be no smoking or swearing on the playing field or in the bench area during any game. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited in Skokie parks.
1.10. Any player warming up a pitcher must wear a catcher's mask.
1.11. During all games, only rostered players, the team's manager, coaches and a scorekeeper may sit on the bench or be permitted in the bench area.
1.12. Use of non-rostered players is prohibited.
1.13. A ball hit into a tree in fair territory shall be a live ball; a ball hitting a tree in foul territory shall be a foul ball strike.
1.14. Jackets may be worn over the uniform at the discretion of the umpire, except by the batter or pitcher. The jacket must be zipped or buttoned. Pitchers may not wear white or light-colored long sleeve shirts while pitching.
1.15. All base coaches must be at least six feet from the baseline.
1.16. If a batter is injured while batting and cannot complete his at-bat, the last batter or runner to make an out shall complete the at-bat, inheriting the ball and strike count. If a runner becomes injured and can no longer run, the last batter or runner to make an out shall take his place on the bases. 1.17. Upon managerial request, umpires will remain until the completion of six innings afterforfeit or slaughter. 2.GAMES PRACTICE/INSTRUCTIONAL GAMES 2.1. The team on defense may place an adult coach in short center field for instructional purposes. 2.2. A complete inning will be three outs or the complete batting order, whichever comes first. 2.3. Scores of Instructional Games shall not count in League Standings. 2.4. Brief time outs are allowed for instructional purposes. 2.5. No player may pitch more than two innings per game. No player may pitch without at least one day's rest. Twelve year olds shall not pitch more than three innings per game. 2.6. There is a 5 run limit per team, per inning regardless of score, number of outs or base runners. Upon the scoring of the 5th run in a half-inning, that half-inning is over. If the 5th run scores as part of a multi-run home run or similar, all runs up to and including the 5th run shall be recorded. The declared “Last Inning” is an exception to this limit. In the last inning, the visiting team may score the greater of 5 runs OR enough runs to take the lead by 5 runs; the home team is given the opportunity to score as many runs as may be needed to win. REGULAR SEASON 2.7. In regular League games, a team will be allowed to play with only eight players present at the start of the game. However, if the team loses a player during the game, the opposing team will win by forfeit and the game is stopped. Less than eight players present for any team fifteen minutes after the scheduled start of the game will result in forfeiture. This rule supersedes the Official Little League Baseball rule. 2.8. During the regular season, once a game has started, if it is postponed by inclement weather before it is an official game, it will be a suspended game and resumed from the point it stopped. TOURNAMENT/PLAYOFFS
3. SCHEDULING/WEATHER 3.1. All weather related deviations from the schedule for each league, be it time, date, or site, must be first initiated by the League VP. The VP can institute and approve such changes after receiving confirmation from the Schedule Maker and Chief Umpire, except in the case of inclement weather. The VP, Manager, and Coaches shall do everything possible to make a field playable and explore every alternative before a game is "called" (playing on grass or moving to another field is encouraged). After a game has started, it may be called only by the umpire after consulting with the managers.
4. ROSTERS
5. TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES HOME TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES 5.1. Home team must set up the field by putting out bases, measuring and setting up the pitching rubber. 5.2. Must provide (2) new GAME balls.5.3. Must notify the League V.P. and opposing manager as soon as possible if weather conditions cause the field to be unplayable.5.4. Must put bases back in the field box and lock the field box.
5.5. Turn the lights off at Terminal Park.
5.6. Put trash in trash cans leaving the dug-outs and fields clean and orderly.
WINNING TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES (AAA AND MAJORS) 5.7. Must record all league required statistics, and the official score of the game to the league statistician within 24 hours of the end of the game. The statistician will have the game results on SkokieIndians.org website as soon as practical, but no later than 24 hours upon receipt of the game report. (See details – Sec 7.9) SUBSTITUTIONS
6. DEFINITIONS 6.1. Regulation Game - A game will be official if it is called by the umpire after: AAA/Majors - 4 innings (3_ if home team leads) Pony - 5 innings (4_ if home team leads)
6.2 Regulation Game Called:
6.3 Suspended game: A game called prior to regulation and at least 1 inning is completed, otherwise “no game” A game will be official if it is called by the umpire. Home team manager must report game all league required statistics to the league statistician with 24 hours of a Suspended Game. If a game is called before it is official (1 inning is completed), it is considered as not having occurred as far as pitching rules, substitution rules, player statistics, etc.
7. LOCAL RULES—AAA AND MAJORS 7.1. Official Little League Rules will apply at all times as minimum standards to follow. 7.2. Team rosters will be determined by a draft organized by the League VP. 7.3. No player shall be moved between leagues without prior approval of the League VP's and only after informing the player in question and his or her parents of the intention. The Executive Board shall have the final ruling in case of a disagreement. 7.4. The number of teams will be determined by the number of registered players. The age breakdown of teams shall be determined by the Executive Board. 7.5. Official starting time for regularly scheduled games will be 5:45 PM on any week day, except on lighted diamonds. Weekend games will be started in accordance with the published schedules. 7.6. All substitutes must enter the game by the top of the fourth inning, and play at least three full offensive and defensive innings per game. All players, starters and substitutes, must play for at least six consecutive outs each game. Any player not fulfilling the requirement for any reason (home team ahead at bottom of sixth inning, incomplete game, etc.) must start the very next game he or she attends and play at least the first three innings. The batting order will consist of the entire roster. 7.7. Adults designated by the manager are encouraged to coach at both first and third base. 7.8. Slaughter rule: AAA—if there is a 15 run differential in score at the end of four complete innings (three and one-half if the home team is ahead), the game shall end and be considered complete. MAJORS—The same shall apply to Major League, except the differential shall be 10 runs. 7.9. Responsibilities of the Winning Team: The manager of the winning team must report scores, pitchers used and innings pitched, and players hitting extra base hits for both teams to the statistician, the manager of the winning team is also responsible for reporting plate and bases umpires' names plus any other statistics required by Skokie Indians Little League. These games reports must be reported to the statistician within 24 hours of the end of the game. The statistician will have the game results on the Skokie Indians Little League website as soon as practical, but no later than 24 hours of having received the game report. 7.10. Trophies will be awarded to first and second place finishers in each league, determined by a double-elimination tournament. 7.11. All questions regarding rules, game outcome, and appeals should be directed to the League VP, who has final authority in all these matters. 7.12. In accordance with Little League rules, the maximum barrel size for all bats will be 2.25 inches. 7.13. For purposes of championship seeding, during the regular season, a team earns two points for a win or zero points for a loss or unplayed game, and each team wins 1 point for a tied game. 7.14. Any coach who is not first or third base coach when his team is on offense must not be on the playing field. 7.15. Bases shall be 60 feet apart. Pitching rubber shall be 46 feet from the front of the pitching rubber to the back of home plate. 7.16. In the case of a rainout, managers must schedule their teams' makeup game within seven days from the date of the rained out date. If the managers cannot agree on a new game date, the League VP will schedule the game's date. 7.17. Suspended game due to weather: A game shall be immediately suspended in the event of thunder or lightning. If agreeable to both managers and the umpire, the game can be restarted 20 minutes after the last event of thunder or lightning. A team shall not be penalized for not having at least 8 players remaining after the delay to restart the game. The game shall be ruled as a suspended game. (Suspended Game – See Sec 6.3) Pitching 7.18. Any rostered player may pitch. 7.19. One pitch thrown constitutes an inning. 7.20. Once removed, a player may not pitch again in the same game. 7.21. No player may pitch more than six innings in any two consecutive games. No player of league age ten or under shall pitch more than three innings in any one game. One pitch thrown constitutes an inning pitched. 7.22. Visits to the pitcher: any previous LOCAL RULE is superceded by Little League rule 8.06, which reads as follows: 8.06 - This rule, which applies to each pitcher who enters a game, governs the visits of the manager or coach to the pitcher at the mound.
APPROVED RULING 1: At the time a pitcher is removed, a visit should not be charged to the new pitcher. APPROVED RULING 2: A conference with the pitcher or any other fielder to evaluate the players condition after an injury shall be considered a visit for the purposed of this rule. The manager or coach should advise the umpire, and the umpire should monitor the conference. Base Running 7.23. Leaving the Base Early: Regular Season Rule:
7.24. Runner Is Out Slide or Avoid: Runner is out if no attempt is made to avoid contact or get around fielder with ball waiting to make tag. 7.25. Head First Slide: Runner is out on head-first slide when the runner attempts to advance to the next base.
8.ADDITIONAL RULES FOR AAA 8.1. No player in the AAA League who is rostered to a team and has played in a regular season game can be moved up to the Majors or down to AA Farm League without the approval of both League VP's and notification of the player's parents. The Executive Board will rule if there is a dispute. 8.2. Each player must play at least six complete games. No less than three of these shall be in the regular season. 8.3. The batting order shall consist of all players present and in uniform at the start of the game. Players who arrive after the start of the game must be added to the end of the batting order. 8.4. There will be instructional games at the beginning of the season as indicated in the schedule. Pitching 8.5. No player may pitch more than three innings in an official game nor more than six innings in a week (Monday through Sunday). One calendar day of rest is mandatory. Plus Little League pitching rules in section 7 apply. WARNING!!!!!! A PLAYER CANNOT PITCH 2 Calendar DAYS IN A ROW OR THE GAME WILL RESULT IN A FORFEIT Base Running 8.6. Base runners may advance only to second base on pitches deemed passed balls (any ball not caught by the catcher) or wild pitches. The runner may not advance to third even if a play is made on him or her at second. Also, if there is a runner at second or third, he or she may not advance on a passed ball or wild pitch. 9. ADDITIONAL RULES FOR MAJORS Pitching 9.1. If a pitcher pitches less than 4 innings one calendar day of rest is mandatory. WARNING!!!!!! A PLAYER CANNOT PITCH 2 Calendar DAYS IN A ROW OR THE GAME WILL RESULT IN A FORFEIT
9.2. If a player pitches in four or more innings, three calendar days of rest are mandatory.
9.3. A player may pitch a maximum of six innings per "pitching week" (Monday through Sunday). Complete six inning games are allowed, but good judgment must be used to avoid injury. 9.4. No player may pitch more than six innings in two consecutive games, even if the prescribed rest period is met. 9.5. A maximum of twelve innings per calendar week may be pitched by a team's twelve-year olds. 9.6. Pitching records (name, age, innings pitched) will be placed on record. If you have any questions about eligibility of the opposing team's pitchers, check with the other manager prior to the start of the game. 9.7. Violations of pitching rules will result in forfeiture. 9.8. During regular season and playoff games, an league age 11 yr. old must pitch at least one inning (defined as three consecutive outs) prior to the beginning of the fourth inning. In the event the 11 yr. old pitcher is unable to finish an inning for any reason (injury, ability, etc.), the team remains obligated to fulfill the 11 yr. old pitcher requirement and may substitute another 11 yr. old who has not yet pitched in that game to complete the 3 consecutive outs requirement. VIOLATIONS OF RULE 9.8 WILL RESULT IN A FORFEIT Base Running 9.9. Base runners may advance to second base, third base or home plate once the pitch reaches the batter (crosses the plate), or (any ball not caught by the catcher) or wild pitches. 10. CALL UP POLICY AAA AND MAJORS PURPOSE The intention of the call up policy is to allow a team that knows prior to a game that it will have less than 10 players to play the game. Each team is entitled to have 10 players available for all playoff games, and a team’s roster may therefore be supplemented with players from a lower league. SOURCE OF SUBSTITUTES The league VPs are responsible for creating the substitute player lists. The league VPs must obtain parental approval before putting any player on the call-up list. Substitutes for Major League playoff teams will be assigned by that league’s VP from the approved list of eligible AAA players. Substitutes for AAA playoff teams will be assigned by that league’s VP from the approved list of eligible AA players. Once a player is assigned to a team, they will only play with that team (when necessary) for the duration of the playoffs. The call up player is allowed and encouraged to practice with the team calling them up. RULES FOR USING A CALL UP PLAYER
11. A-AA LEAGUE GUIDELINES FOR PRACTICES Basic Skills: On practice days, teams are expected to work on basic skills such as throwing, catching, batting, base running, rules (force-out, tagging up, etc.) and techniques such as fielding grounders, pop-ups and fly balls and more specialized skills as the season progresses, including pitching, bunting and playing catcher. Accuracy is stressed over speed in pitching, especially since ball players will be pitching to their own teammates during games. Scrimmages: Teams are encouraged to arrange informal scrimmages on practice days, either intra-squad or with neighboring teams. But scrimmages will not start until each team has practices for at least one hour on basic skills. 12. LOCAL RULES—A-AA LEAGUE Batting 12.1. Each team will have roster batting — that is, every player on the team who is present will be in the batting order. Any player arriving after the beginning of the game will be added to the end of the order. Teams will bat all the way through the roster each inning, regardless of the number of runs or outs. The inning ends after the last player bats. 12.2. The batting order will be reversed each inning, so that the last batter in the first inning is the first batter in the second. There will be no lead-offs or stealing bases. Pitching 12.3. Pitching will be done by the players or the coaches of the batting team. Catcher will be supplied by the defensive team. Coaches will be the pitchers and catchers early in the season until players receive instructions in these skills. 12.4. The most important element of pitching is accuracy. If a ball player is pitching and the batter has not placed the ball in play within four pitches, a coach will take over, and the batter will have four more pitches to put the ball in play, unless in either case the batter "stays alive" by fouling off the last pitch. 12.5. Balls and strikes will not be called when batters take pitches. A player's turn at bat ends when he/she puts the ball in play or until the maximum number of pitches has been thrown. 12.6. No player will pitch in more than one inning. The batting team's pitcher and catcher will be the last batters of the inning, with coaches taking over as pitcher and catcher. Defense 12.7. Because the pitcher is a member of the batting team, he/she will not play defense; the defensive team will supply a "defensive pitcher" who fields the pitcher's position. The defensive team will supply a catcher. The "defensive pitcher" will be instructed to cover home on plays at the plate when possible. 12.8. One coach from the defensive team may be stationed in fair territory in the outfield for instructional purposes, but he/she shall not participate in or interfere with any plays. This on-field coach may halt the game between plays for brief instruction to the defense regarding the prior play. 12.9. All players on the defensive team shall play in the field, but with no more than five infielders in addition to the "defensive pitcher." No player shall play the infield two innings in a row, unless a team has an insufficient number of players. 12.10. The ball is dead when it is thrown back to the defensive pitcher on the mound. 12.11. "Reduced Injury Factor 5" (RIF) balls will be used for all practices and games. 12.12. Full catcher's equipment will be used when ball players are catching, including catcher's mitt, mask with attached helmet and "Van Dyke" throat guard, chest protector and shin guards.
13. LOCAL RULES—AA ONLY 13.1. Games 1, 2, and 3: Coach pitching only. Use of the tee needs to be encouraged. 13.2. Mid-Season Games: Pitchers shall pitch to their own team including that team’s own catcher. Number of pitches shall be limited as follows: Pitcher throws (4) pitches. If no hits then, Coach throws (4) pitches. If no hits then, Tee will be set out and the player shall be encouraged to swing and hit the ball. 13.3. Final 2 Games of the Regular Season: Adoption of AAA league rules for pitching and base running. This will require a paid umpire. League age eight year olds shall be considered as 10 year olds as far as AAA pitching rules apply. (Pitching plate to home 40 to 42 feet) 13.4. Skokie Indians Pony League players will be asked to umpire these games. There will be no equipment changes made.
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