Mustang

Mustang House Rules and Regulations

In general, the Official Rules of Baseball shall apply, except as noted below...

No Dropped Third Strike.
No infield fly rule.
Baserunning rules:
- No leads/steals until pitched ball crosses front edge of home plate.
  - Base runners must return to their base when the pitcher toes the rubber. Runners not on base when pitch is delivered shall be called out (one warning per team; note: this is rarely applied and would be a punitive measure for intentional/aggressive behavior).
  - Stealing home is only allowed in two instances:
    - Wild pitch
    - passed ball
Catcher throws to a base in a baseball play (e.g. runners on 1st and 3rd and runner tries to steal second, for example).
No intentional walks
No balks
For clarity, bunts are allowed

A minimum of 8 players are required for a team to play a game.
Teams will bat all players and are allowed free defensive substitutions.
If during a game, a player becomes unable to play due to injury, their spot in the batting line-up shall be skipped without penalty.
Any player arriving after the start of the game may be inserted at the end of the line-up.
All players shall play a minimum of 3 (4 innings is highly encouraged) defensive innings.

As a first principle, we will protect our players’ long-term arm health.
Our pitching limitations attempt to take into account all high-intensity pitches thrown, including warm-ups and game pitches.
Our goal is to have AS MANY KIDS AS POSSIBLE have the opportunity to pitch.
Mid-inning pitching changes SLOW the game down dramatically. Please keep in mind when deciding when to replace pitchers.

(Pitches in Game)

0 Days

1 Days

2 Days

3 Days

4 Days

5 Days

9-10

55*

1-20

21-35

36-50

51-65

66+

N/A

*See NOTE below

To illustrate, if a pitcher pitches:
- 35 pitches on a Friday, they are ineligible to pitch on Saturday, but could pitch on Sunday.
- 20 pitches on a Saturday, they can pitch on Sunday.
NOTE:
- For 0 Rest Days (1-20 pitches) and until Spring Break, the pitcher can throw a MAXIMUM of 35 pitches the next (calendar) day. After Spring Break, the pitcher can throw a MAXIMUM of 55 pitches the next (calendar) day.
- Bonus Pitches – If a pitcher reaches a day(s) of rest threshold while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions occurs: (1) that batter reaches base; (2) that batter is retired; or (3) the third out is made to complete the half-inning or the game. The pitcher will only be required to observe the calendar day(s) of rest for the threshold he/she reached during that at-bat, provided that pitcher is removed or the game is completed before delivering a pitch to another batter. This applies to any threshold.
During regular season, it is discouraged to have a pitcher start an inning with 5 or less remaining eligible pitches.
Any questions on prior day(s) pitch counts, should be addressed by the coaches prior to start of game.
There is no inning limit.
A pitcher who has been removed from a game may not re-enter that game as a pitcher.
Opposing team shall cease cheers, chants and general screaming when the pitcher toes the rubber.
Opposing coach may ask for a new pitcher if there are 2 HBP by the same pitcher in one inning.

Games shall be 6 innings; no new inning can start after 2 hours.
- If a game is tied after 6 innings or at the end of 2 hours the game shall be a tie.
Run limits & Mercy Rule
- There is a 5 run limit for each inning which begins before 90 minutes of play have elapsed.
- After 90 minutes, there shall be no limit to the number of runs scored. Coaches must agree that the 90 minutes have elapsed and the visitor half of next inning starts the no run limit inning.
- Mercy rule shall be 10 runs after 4th or 5th inning.
  - Home team shall still bat in the bottom of the 4th or 5th inning if losing by more than 10.
  - In event a game ends early by mercy, the umpire shall be allowed to leave the field. The coaches are encouraged to continue to play with coach-umpires until the time limit.
- Teams winning by 5 runs or more shall not have straight steals, although steals on passed balls and wild pitches are still allowed.
Runners must avoid contact at a base if there is any chance of a "play at the base" or will return to their previous base.
If there is a play at the plate the runner shall slide to avoid contact.
Catcher is not allowed to block the plate. Umpires to warn catchers standing on the plate waiting on the ball.

There shall be no challenging of umpires’ calls. If you believe an umpire has been consistently sub-standard (either in a game or across multiple games), please notify the commissioner who is in regular contact with the umpire assignors.
Each team shall report their opponents' MVPs using the google form after each game. These nominations are an important part of forming our all-star teams.
Home team shall have the choice of dugout.
Home team is responsible for field prep.
Home team is responsible for putting away bases, equipment and locking shed after the game. Do not assume there is a game after yours.
Home team shall provide 6 game balls, with 3 for umpire and 3 kept in reserve.
Home team is responsible for the official score, although both teams shall use the GameChanger app for scoring and record keeping.
Home team is responsible for loading the official score into the OBA website (if used).