Gurnee Youth Baseball

FIELD AND PLAYING RULES

ADOPTED: MARCH 7, 2006

Last REVISED: MARCH 11, 2012

REVIEW DATE: March OF EACH ENSUING YEAR

I.      GENERAL RULES GOVERNING GYB

A.     GYB will be taking a zero tolerance position on incidences of misconduct. Any participant, parent, spectator, coach, manager, employee and volunteer whom exhibits unsportsmanlike conduct towards umpires, players, coaches, spectators or board members will be asked to leave the field immediately. (Coaches, remember your players are looking to you and your staff as role models. Think: they may interpret your actions as proper behavior, including yelling at other coaches, at other players or at officials.) All incidents will be reported to and reviewed by the GYB Rules and Ethics Committee. Upon a determination that misconduct has occurred, an appropriate penalty, up to and including suspension from the program may be imposed. The below list of general rules is meant to be a guide to focus on appropriate behavior and is not meant to be inclusive.

B.     Individuals will not receive volunteer credit for acting in the role of managers, coach and/or team parent unless he or she has received approval of the GYB Board of Directors to act in that role.

C.     Unless otherwise specified below, the rules and regulations of Pony Baseball, Inc., for the current season, shall apply.

D.     Game Times and Length of Games

1.      For the month of May, weeknight games will start at 5:45 PM.  Thereafter, weekday games will start at 6:00 PM.  Colt and Pony continue with a 5:45 start time throughout the year.

2.      Eight is the minimum number of players necessary to start a game. Failure of a team to have the minimum number of players necessary to start a game within 15 minutes of the scheduled starting time will result in forfeiture of the game. In the event of a forfeit, the teams shall conduct a practice game.

3.      All games, except the Championship Games, will have a two (2) hour and 15 minute time limit, from the scheduled start time (unless otherwise announced start time by umpire). No new inning may start once this limit is reached.

4.      Games will be called for darkness when appropriate. The umpire in chief (behind the plate) on each playing field, in conjunction with the Board Member on Duty, shall call the game for darkness or as a result of inclement weather or at any other time if, in their judgment, conditions dictate such action prior to 8:15 p.m.

5.      In the event that lightning is detected, Players, coaches and spectators must leave the fields and seek appropriate shelter; no one should leave the GYB complex unless specifically informed their games have been cancelled. 

6.      The weather horn will sound once if lightning is detected within eight miles and will sound twice when it is safe to resume.  Lightning must remain eight miles or more away for a period of 20 minutes in order for play to resume.  Teams unable to restart their games because they do not have the minimum number of players present will be assessed a forfeit. If neither team on an individual field has the minimum players necessary to restart the game, they will both be assessed a forfeit.

7.      For games called to weather or darkness, refer to individual league rules.

(A game called for darkness qualifies as a complete game under the GYB playing rules and it will not be suspended or otherwise made up.)

8.      Coaches do not have authority to cancel or reschedule games. League Supervisors shall have the sole authority and responsibility for determining whether a game may be cancelled and when it may be made up. Make up games for weather related cancellations will be played in accordance with the GYB make-up policy on the first available date on the first available field, subject to confirmation by the League Supervisors. Refusal of a team to accept the first available make up slot will result in automatic forfeiture to the opposing team.

9.      Games can be cancelled due to weather before play commences by the individual in charge of facilities maintenance; however, said individual must receive approval before making said decision by either the President or Vice President. If the individual in charge of facilities maintenance is unavailable, then the Board Member on Duty can cancel the games due to weather before play commences. The umpire in chief on the field may suspend games upon commencement. The umpire in chief shall not cancel a game without the authority of the President or Vice President.

10.   Subject to operating agreements with affiliate organizations, rained out games will be made up in accordance with the following schedule.

·         Rainout No. 1 – will be played at 6:00 p.m. on the first available Sunday (5:45 PM in May).

·         Rainout No. 2 – will be played at 3:00 p.m. on the first available Sunday (2:45 PM in May).

11.   GYB reserves the right to modify the make-up schedule where and when necessary. All rainout make-ups will be posted on the web site. Due to the limited number of opportunities to make up rainouts, make-ups will not be rescheduled absent further inclement weather.

12.   A slaughter rule will be in effect for all GYB games at the Mustang level and up. A game will be deemed complete if one team is ahead by 15 runs after four innings or is ahead by 10 runs after five innings. Once a team has reached a score that will place the slaughter rule in effect, that team shall not lead off or steal unless the score reverts to a non-slaughter rule status.

13.   Subject to the limitations of Rule 6.08 of Baseball’s Official Playing Rules, a pitched ball that bounces before hitting the batter may result in a “hit by pitch” ruling and the batter may be awarded first base.

E.      Field Etiquette and Ground Rules

1.      Teams may officially begin practice 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the game.

2.      The Home Team will be assigned the bench along the third base line. The visiting team will be assigned the bench along the first base line.

3.      The Home Team will be responsible for readying the field for play (setting out the bases) prior to the start of the official practice period.

4.      The home team will have the infield and left and left center field during the first 15 minutes of the warm-up period. The visiting team will be allowed to use right and right center field during that time.

5.      The visiting team will have the infield and right and right center field during the last 15 minutes of the warm-up period. The home team will be allowed to use left and left center field during that time.

6.      The field must be shared for practice at any time prior to the 30-minute warm-up period.

7.      No live batting practice will be permitted on the field with 60 minutes of the scheduled starting time of a game, with the exception of whiffle balls.

8.      There will be no “soft toss” batting practice into any fences with the exception of whiffle balls.

9.      Players will not be permitted to swing bats outside of the batter’s box, on-deck cages or practice batting cages.

10.   The use of hitting sticks is prohibited during during games. The use of hitting sticks is permissible during pre-game warm-ups and team practices provided that a coach handles the hitting stick at all times and that any use is in a clearly designated safety zone, such as the batter’s box, on-deck cages or practice batting cages.

11.   The visiting team will be responsible for appropriate post game field maintenance, including putting away any equipment, raking and leveling the fields and repacking the mound. BOTH TEAMS are responsible for the cleanliness of the FIELD, DUGOUTS and BLEACHERS after the game

12.   Each team will be issued two (2) game balls for each game where they will serve as home team during the regular season. Umpires will furnish game balls during the playoffs.

13.   (Each team will be issued six practice balls. If additional balls are needed, it will be the responsibility of the team to incur the cost.)

14.   The Home team will furnish the official scorekeeper. Each team must have a scorekeeper. Each team is encouraged to maintain their own scorebooks to verify the correctness of the score. The umpire in chief will be responsible for verifying the score and advising the coaches after each one half (½) inning. At the conclusion of the game, the umpire in chief shall certify the final score on the umpire comment card.

15.   When the electronic scoreboards are available, the Home Team, as official scorekeeper, shall operate the scoreboard. The umpire shall be responsible for determining the official ball and strike count and number of outs. The umpire shall also be responsible for verifying the accuracy of the score on the scoreboard and correct any discrepancies between innings.

16.   Manager/Coach must be in the dugout at all times. Only players, managers, coaches and team parents are permitted in the dugout at any time during a game. Players and substitutes shall sit on their team's bench or otherwise remain in the dugout unless participating in the game or preparing to enter the game. No one except players in uniform, managers, coaches and team parents shall occupy the bench or dugout. When batters or base runners are retired, they must return to the bench/dugout at once.

17.   Abuse of players, coaches, umpires, Board Members and other GYB employees and/or volunteers will not be tolerated. All incidents of abuse should be reported to the Head Coach of the opposing team, the League Supervisor and the Board Member on Duty for further investigation. Anyone violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action by the GYB Rules and Ethics Committee.

18.   Alcohol is not permitted at the GYB field complex. Anyone violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action by the GYB Rules and Ethics Committee.

19.   Dogs and other pets are not permitted at the GYB field complex. Individuals in violation of this policy will be asked to leave the premises. Repeat violators will be subject to disciplinary action by the GYB Rules and Ethics Committee.

20.   Tobacco of any type is prohibited on the playing fields, dugouts and in the areas immediately adjacent there to and including the spectator bleachers. Individuals in violation of this policy will be asked to extinguish and/or properly discard their smoking materials or retire to an area away from the field of play if they wish to continue their use. Repeat violators will asked to leave the premises and may be subject to disciplinary action by the GYB Rules and Ethics Committee.

21.   No managers, coaches, players or spectators are allowed to stand behind the backstop in the area directly behind home plate.

22.   Speed-Up Rule: Courtesy Runners. Regardless of outs, with the NEXT pitcher on base, that individual may be replaced by a pinch runner. With the NEXT catcher on base, that individual MUST be replaced by a pinch runner. The player making the last recorded out will run for the base runner (excluding the pitcher/catcher).

F.      Player Safety

1.      Strict compliance with field etiquette rules is required to promote player safety.

2.      All male players must wear a protective cup.

3.      Mouth guards are recommended, but not required by GYB.

4.      All catchers must wear appropriate catcher’s equipment during all games and practices.

5.      No player may warm-up a pitcher without wearing a catcher’s mask.

6.      Metal cleats or spikes are prohibited at the Bronco level and below.

7.      No jewelry (watches, earrings, necklaces, wrist and ankle bracelets (including rubber “Live Strong” type bracelets), chains and rings, etc.) will be worn during warm-ups and during games with the exception of medical identification paraphernalia. Any player who refuses to remove his or her jewelry upon request will be ejected from the game.

8.      All batters, runners and players in the on-deck cages will wear helmets. Players may not intentionally remove their helmets while running the bases. If, in the judgment of an umpire, a helmet has been intentionally removed, the runner will be called out.

9.      Pitchers may not wear wristbands or white three quarter or long sleeve t-shirts when they are pitching

10.   A base runner must attempt to avoid a collision at any base. If, in the judgment of an umpire, the runner intentionally attempted to run through a defensive player with the ball in his possession, the runner will be called out and ejected from the game. If the runner collides with the defensive player, unintentionally, he will be called out. For purposes of this rule, contact made during a slide is not deemed a collision.

11.   Any pitcher who hits a total of three batters in one game shall be removed from the game as a pitcher. This ruling does not affect his or her ability to continue on at another position.

12.   A defensive player shall not obstruct or otherwise interfere with a runner (i.e., fake tag) if the player does not have the ball in his possession. If, in the judgment of the umpire, this has occurred, the base runner will be awarded an extra base.

13.   In the event that a player is injured, the player will be entitled to a courtesy runner. The runner will be the player who made the last recorded out.

14.   Due to free substitution and a continuous batting order, in the event that a player has left the game or is otherwise unable to hit due to an injury or has otherwise left the premises, the team will not be penalized for batting out of order.

15.  Pitchers at the Pinto and Shetland levels must wear a helmet with a protective cage.

G.     Playing Time Requirements

1.      Free substitution is allowed during a game, at all levels, except pitchers may not re-enter a game as pitchers.

2.      All players on the team will bat in a consecutive and continuous order, whether or not they played on the field in the last inning. Late arriving players will be added to the end of the order.

3.      Players batting out of order. An improper batter is considered to be at bat as soon as he is in the batter’s box and the ball is alive. When improper batter’s infraction is first discovered, time may be requested and the improper batter replaced with the proper batter with the improper batter’s ball and strike count still in effect, provided the infraction is detected before improper batter is put out, or scores a run.

4.      A batter shall be called out, on appeal, when he fails to bat in his proper turn and another batter completes a time at bat in his place; provided the appeal is made prior to the first pitch, legal or illegal, to the next batter.

5.      When an improper batter scores, is put out, or strikes out, and the defensive team appeals to the Head Umpire before the first pitch, legal or illegal, to the next batter; or before the fielders leave the field if a half-inning is ending, the umpire shall declare the proper batter out and nullify any score made by the improper batter. (NOTE: If the improper batter hits and is put out by a fielder, credit for a put out will remain in the defensive player’s record; likewise, if the improper batter strikes out, the pitcher’s record will reflect the strike out, as it would if there had been no batting out of order.

6.      When an improper batter scores or is put out or strikes out and a legal or illegal pitch has been delivered to the next batter or all fielders have left the field ending a half-inning before an appeal is made, the improper batter becomes the proper batter, and the results of his time at bat become legal.

7.      When the proper batter has been called out because he failed to bat in his proper turn, the next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of the proper batter thus called out; unless an improper batter has been legalized by receiving a pitch, legal or illegal; or through failure of the defensive team to appeal prior to the end of a half-inning or prior to leaving the field.

8.      When an improper batter becomes a proper batter because no appeal is properly made as above, the next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of such legalized improper batter. The instant an improper batter’s actions are legalized, the batting order picks up with the name following that of the legalized improper batter.

9.      Mandatory play rule (except Pony and Colt). Every player, present will participate in each game. For defensive purposes, no player may sit out for more than one inning (three outs) per game, until all players have sat at least one time.

10.   Over the course of the season, the average playing time per player per game must average out. In addition, in situations where a player does not attend a game or leaves a game early, those games will not be used when computing a player’s average playing time per game.

11.   In order to ensure that playing time is kept substantially equal, upon request coaches will be responsible to illustrate documentation of equal playing time. The only exception being is any shortened game from weather or due to the slaughter rule. Any coach or manager who fails to submit their playing time sheets will be subject to disciplinary action by the GYB Rules and Ethics Committee.

12.   As a result of the free substitution rule, a player will not be deemed to have batted out of order when the previously scheduled batter has left the game for an injury or has otherwise left the premises.

13.   In an effort to avoid forfeiting games, a team which cannot field eight (8) players may, with approval of the league supervisor or the league president, in the absence of the league supervisor, and the knowledge of the opposing team’s coach, obtain substitute players from within the League or from the League immediately below in order to start the game.  (this does not apply to Colt and Pony)

·         During the regular season, a team may employ no more than two substitutes in any single game in order to get to one over the minimum.

·         During the playoffs, a team may employ no more than one substitute in any single game in order to get to the minimum. No tournament player may be used as a substitute in the playoffs.

·         No player may substitute for any single team more than twice in a season.

·         Said substitutes shall not pitch or play in the infield and must bat at the end of the batting order. Substitutes must be removed if players from the shorthanded team arrive to play.

H.     Umpires

1.      Umpires may use discipline managers, coaches, team parents, players and any person inside of the playing area to keep control of the game. This would include managers, coaches, players and any person inside of the playing area. If there is a need to address a situation regarding a spectator, the umpire is will send both respective teams to their benches and notify the Board Member on Duty to address the situation. Play would not resume until the situation is resolved. If appropriate, the individual(s) involved may be ejected from the premises and may be subject to further disciplinary action.

2.      Any manager, coach, or spectator ejected from a game will be suspended for the next played game and shall appear before the Rules and Ethics committee to determine whether further disciplinary action is necessary.

3.      Any incident in which a player is ejected shall be reviewed by a judicial review to determine if further disciplinary action is necessary.

4.      PHYSICAL OR VERBAL ABUSE OF UMPIRES by managers, coaches, players, team parents or spectators WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Violations of this rule may result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from all league participation.

5.      Umpires will discuss ground rules with each team’s spokesperson prior to the start of each game.

6.      ALL UMPIRE’S JUDGMENT CALLS ARE FINAL! Only the team spokesperson may discuss rule interpretation, but may not question judgment calls. League policy prohibits attempts to intimidate the umpires or sway their judgment. Any attempt to intimidate or sway the judgment of an umpire may result in imposition of discipline. The league supervisor is responsible for resolution of rule interpretation disagreements, unless the supervisor is managing or coaching. In such case, the Board Member on Duty will have that responsibility.

II.    Local Colt/Palomino Rules

A.    A Colt/Palomino game shall consist of seven (7) innings.

B.    A pitcher may not pitch more than seven (7) innings in one game. One pitch in an inning constitutes a fully pitched inning. Once a player has been removed from the game as a pitcher, the player is no longer eligible to be a pitcher in that game. If a pitcher pitches five innings or more in a day, he cannot pitch the next two calendar days.  No pitcher can pitch more than fourteen innings in a seven-day stretch.

C.    Four (4) innings (3 ½ if the home team is ahead) constitutes an official game. Unofficial games stopped for weather will be replayed.

D.   Distance between bases is ninety (90) feet. The distance of the pitching mound is sixty (60) feet six (6) inches from the front of the rubber to the back of home plate.

E.    Men’s Senior League Rules shall apply with the exception that free substitution shall be permitted, unless otherwise limited by the Rules of GYB.

F.    Free substitution shall apply.

III. Local Pony Rules

A.    A Pony game shall consist of seven (7) innings.

B.    Four (4) innings (3 ½ if the home team is ahead) constitutes an official game. Unofficial games stopped for weather will be replayed.

C.    A Pony pitcher may not pitch more than four (4) innings in one game. One pitch in an inning constitutes a fully pitched inning. Once a player has been removed from the game as a pitcher, the player is no longer eligible to be a pitcher in that game.

D.   A pitcher throwing four innings must wait 48 hours between game-time starts before pitching again. 

E.    Five (5) warm-up pitches are allowed between innings. Ten warm-up pitches are allowed for new pitchers entering a g