MNMLL Fall 2009 General Rules:  Individual divisions can be viewed by downloading entire file below. (Under Tab:Handouts- Fall Rules)

League Wide Rules – 

General

1. All games will be played in accordance with the rules adopted by the Merrick North Merrick Little League.  There shall be no exceptions to these rules (i.e. Gentleman’s agreement).  Any manager / coach that changes the rules without the consent of the MNMLL Board or it’s President, will be subject to a forfeiture, suspension or expulsion from the league.    

2. Batting shall be done in a continuous order.

3. Home team occupies the first base side of the field.

4. At least 5 minutes before the scheduled starting time, the umpires and managers shall meet at home plate and discuss the ground rules.

5. All games shall start on time per the times in the schedule.  Any team not ready for play 15 minutes after the scheduled starting time shall forfeit.

6. Only managers or a designated pitching coach (after properly requesting timeout) are permitted on the playing field.

7. Prior to the start of a game, the League President or Vice President shall be responsible for postponing games in the event of inclement weather.  He will notify the proper League Director (s) and the Umpire-In-Chief. 

8. No person may stand directly behind the backstop at the home plate area.  This is especially requested at Town Park where we do not have screens on the backstop and parents and players tend to gather.     

9. The winning manager is responsible for notifying the league (through the website) the final score, pitchers used, number of innings pitched and pitch count after each game. 

10. A player shall be considered to have pitched one inning when he/she throws one pitch. 

11. Only the Manager or acting Manager shall be permitted to question an Umpires decision.  This is subject to rule # 10 in the Managers and Coaches Code of Conduct. 

12. It is the Managers responsibility to control the coaches, parents and children on his/her team.  Anyone ejected from the game that continues to interfere with the game shall cause the team to forfeit the game.  An ejection from the game is punishable by a mandatory one game suspension for the person / player ejected from the game and that person / player is subject to further action by the Board of Directors.   

13. For competitive divisions: extra innings shall be played when possible to declare a winner, subject to any time limit. 

14. The rules from the Little League Handbook shall apply for all play, except where a local rule in this book overrides a handbook rule. 

15. Players, Managers and Coaches are not to interfere with the completion of a play. 

16. Catcher Speed Up Rule –  With two outs in an inning, if the catcher is on base,  he / she should be replaced with the last batted out to allow them to dress for the next half  inning.    

Sliding

1. Sliding is permissible but not mandatory in all competitive divisions.  Teach your players to slide on any close play.   

2. There are three ways to go into a base -  Slide, Avoid contact or Give yourself up.  The umpire may call the runner out if they don’t follow this rule.         

3. It is the runner’s obligation to not intentionally collide with a fielder (except when sliding) and it is the fielder’s obligation not to block the base path unless in possession of the ball or about to receive the ball. 

4. As always, it is up to the Umpire to decide if the runner or fielder violated the above standards.

5. There is absolutely no headfirst sliding allowed going towards a base.   A runner is allowed to slide headfirst back into a base.  ( i.e. pick off play or when the runner has overrun a base) 

Darkness

1. Any game that is tied at the conclusion of a home half inning that is called on account of darkness shall be considered a tie, if it is an official game.  An official game shall consist of 4 innings for all divisions except Juniors.  A Juniors game is official after 5 innings. 

2. Pitching Stats for the suspended game count against the innings pitched and days rest requirement for that week. 

3. Any game called on account of darkness in which the visiting team has tied the score or taken a lead in its turn at bat shall be declared a suspended game.  A suspended game shall be continued as follows – all substitution rules apply as if the game was completed as scheduled

4. The calling of a game shall continue to be at the discretion of the umpire.  However, any League Director present may in their discretion override the umpire decision unless that Director has a child playing in that game.  The safety of the children should always dictate the decision to call a game, not the score, how many outs or how many runners you have on base. 

5. Rules concerning darkness apply to rain-outs.   

 Mercy Rule

If after the completion of 4 full innings (3 ½ if the home team is winning) a team is ahead by 15 runs or more OR after the completion of 5 full innings (4 ½ if the home team is winning) a team is ahead by 10 runs or more, the game shall end and the team ahead shall be declared the winner without the completion of the rest of the game.  The mercy rule is still in effect during the playoffs.   

Players

1. All games can commence with as few as 8 players

2. All games can continue with 8 players

3. If less than 8 players are available to play anytime during the game, that team shall forfeit.

4. If a team is going to have fewer than 9 players, they should contact their player agent to arrange for a call up.   

5. No player shall be called up to a team once the game has started. 

Call Ups

1. Managers must contact the Player Agent for call ups in their respective division.  If the Player Agent is not available, the League Director must be called. 

2. If the manager does not obtain approval for the call up, the game will be forfeited. 

3. Any player called up must bat at the end of the batting order.  This player must sit out before any other member of the existing team sits out.  A call up can only play one inning in the infield and they are not allowed to pitch.  The player must play the remaining innings in the outfield.  

4. Once a call up arrives at the field, they must play in the entire game regardless of how many players show up late for that team, subject to the standard Substitutions rules.

 Substitutions

1. No player shall sit out consecutive innings.

2. No player shall sit out a 2^nd inning until all players (other than the starting pitcher in the AAA, Majors & Juniors divisions) shall have sat out one inning.  This rule continues throughout the entire game, including extra innings.   

3. The starting pitcher in the AAA, Majors and Juniors is subject to the substitution rule as soon as they are removed as the pitcher.  This may require that player to immediately sit down depending on the game situation at the time.         

4. ‘Sitting out’ is defined as not playing in the field for three consecutive defensive outs.  

5. Any violation of the substitution rules shall be immediately corrected and the offending team will be penalized in the next at bat by starting an inning with one out.  

6. All managers should fill out a ‘grid’ or chart indicating where each player is playing every inning and keeping track of the substitutions to avoid any issues or questions regarding an invalid substitution.   

Ice Pack Rule

If the batter is available and doesn’t bat, the at bat is an out.  If the player leaves the game for the remainder of the game, it is not an out.  

Standings

Standings shall be based on a point system.  Two points for a win, one point for a tie. 

Playoffs

1. No playoff game shall be official until it is played to completion.  Any game stopped prior to completion for any reason shall be completed as soon as it can be re-scheduled.    

 Field Maintenance

1. The Home team is required to return the bases to the gang box, replace the plugs and lock the gang box.  Failure to follow this rule will result in a win being taken away and replaced with a loss in the standings.   

2.  The Away team is required to rake the field after each game, especially the area around each base, home plate and the pitchers mound.  Failure to follow this rule will result in forfeiting a turn at bat in the beginning of the next game.  

 3.  Both teams are responsible to clean up the garbage from their dugout and bleachers.  Failure to follow this rule will result in forfeiting a turn at bat in the beginning of the next game.  

4.  Repeat offenders will be subject to a double penalty and possible suspension by the Board of Directors.   

Coaches

Only two coaches and the manager are permitted in the dugout.  All other parents, scorekeepers, siblings, etc. should watch the game from the bleachers.  In the Tyro division, a third coach is permitted in the dugout while the team is at bat, since the manager and two coaches are usually on the field.    

Pitching Mound Visits

There shall be no conference on the mound with all the infield players.  The manager is allowed to visit the mound to speak with the pitcher, but he may not call in the whole infield.  A manager is permitted to make two trips to a pitcher in an inning.  Upon the third trip in the same inning (for the same pitcher) the pitcher needs to be removed.  The manger is permitted a total of three trips per pitcher over the course of the entire game.  Upon the fourth trip in a game, the pitcher will need to be removed.