Top 10 little league rule myths “That’s not the rule, coach.” Little League pledge

I trust in God I love my country And will respect its laws I will play fair And strive to win But win or lose I will always do my best. these statements are incorrect

1. “He has to !” 2. “The can block the plate.” 3. “The hands are part of the bat.” 4. “If he heads for the on a dropped 3rd strike, he’s .” 5. “A is a .” 6. “A runner who overruns 1st base to the left can be tagged out.” 7. “It’s not an fly if he’s standing on the grass.” 8. “A batter can be called out for throwing the bat.” 9. “The batter must pull back on a or it’s a strike.” 10.“The home plate can overrule another umpire.” He has to slide!

There is no “must slide” rule in Little League baseball (or ). Rule 7.08(a)(3) — Any runner is out when… the runner does not slide or attempt to get around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag; A.R. [approved ruling] — There is no “must slide rule.” However, a runner who deviates more than three feet in either direction from the line between him and the base at the time the tag is attempted is out for leaving the base path. This is not the line between the bases. The base path is established at the time the tag is attempted. The catcher can block the plate

This is only true if the catcher is in possession of the ball. Rule 2.00, Definitions — is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball, impedes the progress of any runner. A fake tag is considered obstruction. (Note: Obstruction shall be called on a defensive player who blocks off a base, base line, or home plate from base runner while not in possession of the ball.) Rule 7.06(b) Note 2 — If the defensive player blocks the base (plate) or baseline clearly without possession of the ball, obstruction shall be called. The runner is and a delayed dead ball shall be called. BUT, the runner must collide with the catcher or be forced to alter his path to avoid colliding with the catcher for obstruction to occur. Once the defensive player has possession of the ball, they are then entitled to block the base. The hands are part of the bat

Hands are hands, and the bat is the bat. Whether or not a batter on the hands and gets first base depends on where the batter and the ball are when the batter is hit: Rule 6.08 — A batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out… when - (b) the batter is touched by a pitched ball which the batter is not attempting to hit unless (1) The ball is in the when it touches the batter, or (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; NOTE: If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if that batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched. A.R. — When the batter is touched by a pitched ball which does not entitle the batter to first base, the ball is dead and no runner may advance. If he heads for the dugout on a dropped 3rd strike, he is out First, the proper term is “third strike not caught.” A batter who swings and misses at a that hits the ground before it reaches the catcher may advance just as he can when the catcher drops the ball. The A.R. for Rule 6.05(b)(2) says: When a batter becomes a runner on a third strike that is not caught, and starts for the bench or his/her position, that batter may advance to first base at any time before entering the dugout or any other dead ball area. To put the batter out, the defense must tag the batter or first base before the batter touches first base. Most of the confusion over this rule stems from the MLB rule that states a batter has abandoned first base when he leaves the dirt circle around home plate. This is not the Little League rule. Dead ball areas are almost always outside the fence. A foul tip is a dead ball

Foul tips are live balls and runners may advance at their own peril. Confusion over this rule stems from a misunderstanding of what constitutes a foul tip. Rule 2.00, Definitions — A FOUL TIP is a that goes sharp and direct from the bat to the catcher’s hands and is legally caught. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play. It is not a if it is a rebound, unless the ball has first touched the catcher’s glove or hand. A foul tip can only be caught by the catcher. A ball that is not “sharp and direct” but is caught is not a foul tip, and the batter is out. A sharp and direct to the catcher which is not caught is not a foul tip, it is merely a foul ball. An umpire should give the signal for foul tip without saying anything. A runner who overruns 1st base to the left can be tagged out It’s not the direction of the turn after overrunning, it’s the intention. Rule 7.08(c) EXCEPTION: A batter-runner cannot be tagged out after overrunning or oversliding first base if said batter-runner returns immediately to the base. A runner who makes a move toward second base has forfeited that protection and may be thrown out. But merely turning left before returning directly to first base is not the same thing as making a move to second base. It is not an infield fly if he is standing on the outfield grass Is there any rule that confuses people more than the ? Rule 2.00, Definitions — An INFIELD FLY is a fly ball… which can be caught by an with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied before two are out… The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is caught, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul… A.R — The infield dirt and the outfield grass do not form a boundary line for infield fly purposes. The important part is “can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort.” It does not need to be caught by an infielder; an outfielder can “call off” the infielder and it is till an infield fly. An infielder can catch the ball on the outfield grass and it is still an infield fly. A batter can be called out for throwing the bat The defense is not awarded an out it did not earn. Rule 9.01(c) gives the umpire the authority to rule on anything not specifically covered in the rules, but he cannot award an out for something not covered. A batter who releases the bat at the end of his swing, allowing it to fly away, cannot be called out but could be ejected from the game for unsafe conduct. Umpires will usually give at least one warning before giving the coach the option of removing the player before he is ejected. However, the umpire will immediately eject any player who deliberately throws a bat or a helmet in anger during a game. Remember: any manager, coach or player ejected from a game is ineligible to play the rest of that game and the next scheduled game. The batter must pull back on a bunt or it is a strike This is the rule in Little League Softball, but not Baseball. Rule 2.00, Definitions — A BUNT is a batted ball not swung at but intentionally met with the bat and tapped slowly. The mere holding of the bat in the strike zone is not an attempted bunt… A.R. — If no attempt is made to make contact with a ball outside the strike zone while in the bunting stance, it shall be called a ball. The batter must offer at the pitch for it to be a strike. So, if a batter holds the bat in the bunting position but keeps it still, the pitch will be called a ball or a strike depending on whether it was or was not in the strike zone. The location of the bat is irrelevant. Once the batter moves the bat, even a tiny bit, it will be considered an attempt to meet the ball. The home plate umpire can overrule another umpire Each umpire has assigned responsibilities. While the home plate umpire is usually the umpire-in-chief for that game, his or her responsibilities do not extend to overruling another umpire. Rule 9.02(c) — If a decision is appealed, the umpire making the decision may ask another umpire for information before making a final decision. No umpire shall criticize, seek to reverse, or interfere with another umpire’s decision unless asked to do so by the umpire making it. There are two things to keep in mind: first, the umpire is under no obligation to “ask for help,” and second, in cases where a coach thinks the umpire missed a call, asking for help is a courtesy. Rule 9.02 addresses appeals, and judgement calls such as ball/strike, fair/foul, and safe/out are not appealable. Appeals apply only when a coach believes an umpire has interpreted a rule incorrectly. For more information

Little League International Umpire information: https://www.littleleague.org/umpires/

An excellent unofficial site for more discussion of rule myths: http://www.llumpires.com/rules/myths.html

Or contact the 2020 Woodlawn UIC, Tom McCuin at [email protected]