Game Rules and Procedures
All games of the Pioneer Valley Youth Baseball League shall be played according to The Rules of the National Federation of High Schools, amended or altered by the following league rules.
1. All League games shall begin at their scheduled time, unless 1) the coaches of both teams and the two umpires assigned to the game agree mutually to another starting time or 2) a team is unable to field nine players at game time. If a Koufax or Mantle Division team has fewer than nine players at the scheduled game time, the start of the contest shall be delayed as long as 15 minutes. If that Koufax or Mantle team still has fewer than nine players after a 15 minute delay, the team shall forfeit the game.
2. All League games shall be seven or, if necessary to determine a winner, more innings, unless one team assumes a lead of ten or more runs after 4 1/2 innings of play, in which case the game shall be considered to be completed. That is, the losing team shall bat at least five times. If the home team is losing by ten or more runs after 4 1/2 innings, that team shall bat in the bottom of the 5th. Also, a Koufax Division game shall conclude, if a team leads by ten or more runs and an inning will begin more than two hours after the beginning of the game.
3. A game that is suspended before the contest has become an official game shall be resumed at the point of suspension at a mutually convenient date, time, and place for the concerned teams. A resumed game shall be played until the completion of seven or more innings or, if rain or wet field conditions prevent the completion of the game, the contest has become an official one.
4. The home team shall provide baseballs for each game. At the beginning of a game, the umpire-in-chief shall be given three new, packaged baseballs with the NFHS logo; he shall be given additional baseballs of good quality during the game, if and when he requests them.
5. All players must wear undamaged and NOCSAE approved double ear flap helmets when batting or preparing to bat and while running or coaching the bases. All adult base coaches shall wear an undamaged NOCSAE approved helmet. A player who refuses to do so will be disqualified from the game. A recalcitrant coach shall be ejected from the game.
6. Metal and Composite bats shall have a diameter of 2 5/8” or less, shall weigh no less than 3 ounces less the length in inches of the bat, shall be stamped with a BBCOR seal. A player who uses an illegal bat will be shall be declared out, disqualified from the game, and subject to additional penalty at the discretion of the Commissioner; any advance of runners due to a batted ball shall be nullified.
7. The umpire-in-chief may inspect the bats and helmets of either team at any time during a game and may disqualify any such item from use.
8. Taunting, baiting, and vulgar language shall be punished by disqualification from the game.
9. A player who throws intentionally a bat or helmet in a way that endangers a player, coach, or spectator shall be disqualified from further participation in the game.
10. The umpire-in-chief of a game from which a player is disqualified and/or a manager, coach, or team representative is ejected shall report the disqualification or ejection to the Commissioner within 24 hours of the conclusion of the game.
11. A team may employ any of several batting order options. A team may have a batting order that includes nine players or all players who are present. Alternatively, a team may use (as many as) three Extra Hitters or both a Designated Hitter and/or one or two Extra Hitters. An Designated Hitter may bat for any fielder. An Extra Hitter may enter the game as a fielder. If an Extra Hitter becomes a fielder, the player he replaces in the field will become an Extra Hitter. Finally, a team may designate one of the nine starting fielders to be a Designated Hitter, too. That player may be replaced in the field and remain in the batting order as the Designated Hitter.
12. Any of the starting players (starting fielders and the Extra and Designated Hitters) may be replaced and re-enter the game once, provided that the re-entered player occupies his original batting order position.
13. A substitute player who has been removed from the game may not re-enter, except, when a player has been injured or disqualified and, consequently, his team has fewer than nine eligible players. In such a case, the manager of the opposing team shall select the substitute player who may re-enter the game. If injury to or disqualification of a player prevents a team from having sufficient players to have a Designated and/or an Extra Hitter, one or both of those positions shall be eliminated from the batting order.
14. Each umpire shall be paid his fee in cash or bank cheque before the start of a game, including a resumed game. Any bank cheque issued shall be one to be drawn on the account of the concerned League Association. Each team shall pay one of the umpires. If an umpire works alone, he shall be paid 150% of a fee, which shall be paid equally by both teams. If one team has fewer than nine players and, hence, must forfeit, that team will pay a full fee to both of the umpires or, if there is only one official, the umpire.
15. The home team Manager shall notify the Manager of the visiting team and the Umpire Assigner by telephone or e-mail of the cancellation or postponement of any scheduled game no later than two hours before the scheduled start of that game. The Umpire Assigner shall inform the assigned umpires of the cancellation. If the home team fails to provide such notice and either or both of the assigned umpires appear for such a scheduled game, the home team will pay a full fee to the reporting umpire(s). For games played on weekend days, the Umpire Assigner may rely upon the Home Team Manager to inform the assigned umpires of a cancellation. In those cases, the Umpire Assigner will provide the telephone numbers of assigned umpires to the Home Team Manager and rely upon that fellow to call the assigned umpires at least two hours before the scheduled starting time of a game that has been cancelled.
16. A team who forfeits a game shall pay the entire fees of both umpires who were assigned to that game.
17. A player who is disqualified or coach who is ejected from a game shall be suspended for at least one more League game and may be required to serve a longer suspension at the discretion of the Commissioner.
18. The home team shall inform the Commissioner by telephone or e-mail of the score of a game and the number of pitches thrown by each pitcher of both teams within 24 hours after the completion of the contest. Ideally, the game score and pitch counts should be conveyed to the Commissioner within 2 hours after the end of a game.
19. Courtesy runners will not be allowed, unless both managers agree in the presence of the Umpire-in-Chief during the pre-game conference to use such runners for catchers when there are two outs. Please, note that Pioneer Valley Youth League substitution rules allow a starter to re-enter the game as a substitute runner. Also, our League wishes to encourage the use of as many players as possible during a game, including the participation of a reserve catcher to warm-up pitchers.
20. A pitcher who is replaced during the second trip to him in an inning may remain in the game at another position. However, that player may not pitch, again, during the game.
21. If an injury to or the disqualification of a player would prevent a team from fielding nine players, a player who has played previously may reenter the game or the position of Extra Hitter may be abandoned.
22. The Pitching Rules of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association shall be observed, with some exceptions. The PVYBL rules include the following provisions:
1). A pitcher may throw no more than 115 pitches during a varsity or Mantle Division game and no more than 95 pitches during a sub-varsity or Koufax Division game.
2). A pitcher may not complete an at bat during which he has reached the maximum number of pitches permitted at his level of play.
3). A pitcher must rest for a specified number of days after pitching. The rest period depends upon the number of pitches thrown. A pitcher who throws 1-25 pitches may pitch the next day. A pitcher who throws between 26 and 40 pitches must rest at least one day. If a player's pitch count is between 41 and 55 pitches, he or she must rest for two days. A pitch count of 56 to 70 pitches requires three days of rest. Finally, a pitcher who throws more than 70 pitches must rest four days.
4). A player may not pitch on three consecutive days, regardless of the number of pitches he has thrown on the two previous days.
5). Ineligible pitchers shall be designated on the lineup card of a team presented to the umpire in chief and the opposing manager during the pregame conference.
6). The pitch counts of the pitchers shall be confirmed between managers at the end of each inning.
7). The managers of both teams shall confirm the pitch counts of all pitchers after the game and both shall report the pitch count totals to the Commissioner, who will publish the counts on Game Reports page of the PVYBL website.
