Brookline Minor Boys Baseball League Rules

All rules are those of Major League Baseball with the following exceptions, clarifications, and modifications.

FIELD DIMENSION: Bases 60 feet apart and the pitching rubber is 46 feet from home plate.
LENGTH OF GAMES: Six innings is a regular game. Umpire may stop game if he feels it will be too dark to complete a full inning. Four innings will be considered a full game in the event of inclement weather or darkness. (3 ½ innings if visiting team is losing)
TIME LIMIT:  Drop Dead at 1:55 and revert back to prior inning score.  Nonew inning may begin after 1:40.  No Exceptions.
STRIKE ZONE: Umpire Discretion - Knees to shoulders, batter is still out on a dropped third strike.
PITCHERS: Pitchers are limited to 5 innings maximum in 2 consecutive games ("rolling 5") with a single-game maximum of 3 innings and a 60-pitch maximum per game. One or more pitches thrown in an inning is considered a complete inning pitched. Once a pitcher throws his 60th pitch in a game, he may finish pitching to that batter, but then he must be removed from the mound. Once a pitcher is removed from the mound, he may not return as a pitcher in that game.  Two ( 2) Calendar days rest required for any outing over Two (2) innings.  In the event you play 3 games in 3 consecutive days, a pitcher cannot pitch more than 6 innings in those 3 games.  If you end up with a 4th game in 4 days, only 1 additional inning is allowed for that pitcher capping them at 7.  This should be and will be avoided as much as possible.
SUBSTITUTION RULE: There is free substitution except for the pitcher (see above). Each boy must play a minimum of three (3) innings on defense in a six inning game.  During the regular season, all players must play at least one (1) defensive inning in the infield. If coach of a player deems that it would be unsafe to play this child in the infield then it should be discussed with opposing coach, league commissioner, and VP of Baseball and agreed upon.  The commissioner should then have a discussion with the players parents.  This should be re-evaluated mid season.
HIT BATTERS: A pitcher who hits three (3) batters in the same game will be removed as a pitcher.
BATTING PROCEDURE: Each boy will bat in rotation throughout the game whether or not he is playing in the field. If a boy shows up after a game has started, he will be inserted  into the bottom of the lineup.
Baserunning:  The play is over once the pitcher has the ball and is on the mound.
  • Runners can advance until the pitcher controls the ball on the mound
  • It will be the umpires determination to allow the runner to advance or send him back to the base
  • A runner may not just hang off 3rd base and wait for the pitcher to turn towards the mound.  If he is actively running towards home and around 3rd base or gets in a run down, he may proceed at his own risk.  Once the pitcher has the ball on the mound, the play is OVER.  They cannot bait the pitcher into throwing over to 3rd in hopes of advancing on an overthrow.  PLEASE DO NOT ABUSE THIS RULE.

BENCH RULE:  If a player is in the line up and leaves the field complex for any reason, that player will not be permitted to re-enter the game for any reason. 
RUN LIMIT (“Mercy Rule”): If the losing team is trailing by 12 or more runs after four at-bats or by 10 runs after 5 at-bats, the game shall be declared over. There is a 6 run limit in all innings except the last inning.

Base Running:
  • A  runner may not steal on the throw-back to the pitcher
  • A runner may not advance on an over-throw after a steal
  • No head first slides unless you are going back to the base on a pick-off attempt.
BASE STEALING: There are NO leads. The runner may not leave the base until the pitch has crossed the plate. Failure to follow this rule will result in a team warning. A second violation by the same or other team member will result in the player’s removal from the base and an out declared.
A successful steal attempt will result in the runner’s gain of the base to which he was running; he, and any other runners, may not advance on an overthrow.
There is NO stealing of home plate.
“INFIELD FLY” RULE: The infield fly rule will NOT be in effect in the regular season or playoffs. However, the rule will be in effect during the tournaments following the season.
“MUST SLIDE” RULE: The runner may not intentionally run into any fielder. The runner must avoid the collision, preferably by sliding. If there is a legitimate play being made at a base on a runner, the runner must slide. Umpire’s judgment prevails.
FIELDERS:
  • Ten fielders shall be used. Four must be in the outfield. No “shortfielders” allowed.
  • Players must remain at their assigned position for the entirety of an inning, with the following exceptions:  a) an injury to the player, or b) a pitching change.
FORFEITS: A team cannot play with less than eight (8) players. After a ten (10)minute wait, the game shall be declared a forfeit.
LENGTH OF GAMES: There is a strict time limit of 1:55 (1 hour and 55 minutes) on regular season games. A new inning can not start after 1 hour 40 min. At the 1:55 mark play must stop immediately regardless of the game situation, and the score reverts to the score at the end of the last completed inning. Runs scored
in the final (incomplete) inning do not count. The coach needs to “hustle” the kids up between innings. Plan your lineups in advance as much as possible.
UNIFORMS: A complete uniform shall be considered the Brookline team shirt and hat along with the standard gray baseball pants—NO OTHER COLOR  IS  ACCEPTABLE. Shirts must be tucked in the pants at all times.  Brookline Hats ONLY!!!
Catchers are required to wear protective helmet/mask, chest protector, and shin guards provided by the league. The catcher must also wear a protective cup supplied by the parent.
Batters and runners must wear protective helmets at all times.
UMPIRES: Professional & Teen umpires will be provided by the league. Once the game has started, the umpire will be in complete control of the game. Judgment calls MUST NOT be questioned. Rule interpretations can be discussed with the umpire by both coaches with the final decision belonging to the umpire.
SUSPENDED PLAYOFF GAMES: During the playoffs, the score and situation of a game will be retained after a rain postponement. When play resumes, the game will pick up exactly where it left off (same score, inning, outs, baserunners, batter, and count). Coaches should make every effort to maintain the same batting order in resumed playoff games.
PROTEST: Head coaches may protest a rule interpretation by the umpire. The protesting coach must inform the umpire and the opposing coach of the protest before the next pitch. The Umpire should then sign your scorebook that the game is being played under protest. The game situation should be described in the book or through other means(GameChanger). The protest shall be given to the League Commissioner within 24 hours, and the Commissioner’s decision will be final.
BEHAVIOR: The coach shall take responsibility for the behavior of all of his players and parents. Any serious situation should be reported to the League Commissioner that night.
GAME RESULTS: The winning coach will have the responsibility of Entering or emailing/texting the final score to the League Commissioner that same day or evening.
REST RULES FOR PITCHERS: Two ( 2) Calendar days rest required for any outing over Two (2) innings
 
Note: A "calendar day" may be less than 24 hours: (Example, a boy who throws 3 innings on Thursday night is eligible to pitch again on Sunday morning). 
MOUND VISITS: During the game, a coach may visit a pitcher once per inning for a maximum of 3 visits per pitcher. A second visit to the mound in a single inning will require the pitcher to be removed from the mound. Once removed from the mound, the player may not return as a pitcher.
BATS: Please refer to the statement regarding bat rules on the Rules web page.
EJECTIONS: The ejection of a player, coach or manager from any game will result in a minimum 1-game suspension. A second occurrence will result in a 3-game suspension. Any and all ejections will result in a disciplinary board review that may lead to dismissal from the league.
CALL-UPS: A manager must contact his League Commissioner to request a callup player from the Prep Boys division to fill out his roster. If the Commissioner is unavailable, the Director of Baseball Operations should be contacted. The League Commissioner will have a printed list of eligible players for call-up. Call-up players will be selected from this list ONLY! They will be chosen in order and once selected they will be removed from the list. Once a player is selected, the League Commissioner will call/text both managers involved and announce the player's name. Managers have up to 30 minutes before game time to secure these players. A manager may not at any time "pick up" a player from the area around the field. A call-up must play a minimum of nine (9) defensive outs and remain in the batting order for the entire game. At no time can a call-up pitch, catch or receive more playing time than a rostered player.
BUNTING: Teams are permitted to bunt a maximum of 3 times per game.  Attempted bunts that are not successful do not count towards the total - only successful bunts in play count towards the 3 bunt limit.  
 

Standings & Playoffs

Tie breakers for league standings are the following in order:

  1. Head to Head
  2. Run Differential
  3. Runs Against(Lowest)
  4. Runs Against in Head to Head Games(Lowest)