General Rules Pitching Rules Scheduling Notes Tie Breaker Procedure

PIKESVILLE MEN'S SOFTBALL LEAGUE 2018 RULES

OFFICIAL AMATEUR SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (ASA) 2010 RULES ARE IN EFFECT WITH THE FOLLOWING NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS:

 Pikesville Men’s Softball League Rule 6

PITCHING REGULATIONS (Modified Pitch) 

SECTION 1.  PRELIMINARIES. 

A.     Before starting the delivery (pitch), the pitcher shall take a position with at least one foot in contact with the pitcher’s plate.  Both feet must remain on the ground.  The shoulders shall be in line with first and third bases and shall be squared to home plate. 

SECTION 2.  STARTING THE PITCH. 

A.   The pitch starts when the pitcher commences the first motion within the sequence of motions constituting a Legal Delivery. 

SECTION 3.  LEGAL DELIVERY. 

A.   The pitcher must not make any motion to pitch without immediately delivering the ball to the batter. 

B.   The pitcher must not use a pitching motion in which, after having the ball in one or both hands in the pitching position, the pitcher removes one hand from the ball and returns the ball to both hands. 

C.   The pitcher shall not make a stop or reversal of the forward motion after separating the hands.

D.  The pitcher may take the ball behind the back on the back swing. 

E.  THE PITCHER MUST NOT USE A WINDMILL OR ANY FORM OF SLINGSHOT-TYPE PITCH OR MAKE A COMPLETE REVOLUTION IN THE DELIVERY.  Any pitch in which the position of the ball is not maintained in accordance with Section 3.F. is deemed a slingshot-type pitch.  

F.   Position of the ball:  Throughout the entirety of the back swing, the pitcher’s arm grasping the ball may not exceed the natural height achieved with the pitcher’s elbow “locked” in a fully extended position behind the pitcher.  At no time during the entire sequence of the pitching motion of a legal delivery, may the ball be outside the pitcher’s wrist, whether on the back swing, at the top of the back swing, on the downward motion, or during the complete delivery.  The objective is to have a legal delivery most closely resemble the motion of a bowler. 

G.    The delivery must be in an underhanded motion with the hand below the hip, although the pitcher’s palm may be pointing downward. 

H.   Arm, shoulder, hip:  On the forward swing of the pitching arm, the elbow must be locked at the point of release and the shoulders and driving hip must be squared to home plate when the ball is released. 

I.   The release of the ball must be on the first forward swing of the pitching arm past the hip.  The release must have a complete, smooth follow-through with no abrupt stop of the arm near the hip. 

J.   In the act of delivering the ball, the pitcher must take one step simultaneous with the release of the ball.  The step must be forward and toward the batter within the 24-inch length of the pitcher’s plate. NOTE:  It is not a step if the pitcher slides the pivot foot across the pitcher’s plate, provided contact is maintained with the plate.  Raising the foot off the pitching plate and returning it to the plate creates a rocking motion and is an illegal act.  

K.  Pushing off with the pivot foot from a place other than the pitcher’s plate is illegal. MOREOVER, THE PIVOT FOOT MUST REMAIN POINTED TOWARD HOME PLATE AT ALL TIMES DURING THE ACT OF DELIVERING THE BALL.

L.   The pitcher shall not deliberately drop, roll or bounce the ball in order to prevent the batter from hitting it.

M.    The pitcher has 20 seconds to release the next pitch after receiving the ball or after the umpire indicates “play ball.” 

SECTION 4.  ILLEGAL PITCHES 

A.     Any pitch which an umpire detects as having been delivered in violation of this Rule 6 may be declared an "illegal pitch" and shall have the following effect:

i.                    The umpire shall give a delayed dead ball signal.

ii.                  If the batter hits the ball and reaches first base safely, and if all other runners have advanced at least one base on the batted ball, the illegal pitch is cancelled. All action as a result of the batted ball stands. No option is given.

iii.                Otherwise the manager has the option to take the result of the play, or the illegal pitch is enforced by awarding a ball to the batter (if ball four award first base). Baserunners are not advanced unless forced as a result of a walk. 

B.   The pitcher delivering the illegal pitch, as well as the Team Managers for both teams, shall be advised of the issuance by the umpire of a "first warning" of the delivery of an illegal pitch, together with a brief explanation by the umpire of those aspects of the delivery of the pitch that led the umpire to declare the pitch an illegal pitch (e.g., that the pitcher used a windmill or slingshot delivery). 

C.   The next illegal pitch delivered by the same pitcher will result in a “second warning”. The same Illegal Pitch effects as above will be enforced by the umpire. 

D.    The umpire shall advise the respective Team Managers that any further illegal pitches will result in a declaration by the umpire that the pitcher is no longer eligible to pitch in the game in progress, but may be assigned to any other fielding or hitting position within League Rules.  Any replacement of the pitcher shall also be in accordance with League rules.  

SECTION  9: WARM-UP PITCHES

 A.   At the beginning of each ˝ inning, or when a pitcher relieves another, not more than 1 minute may be used to deliver not more than 5 warm-up pitches.

SECTION 10.  PITCHING RULES COMMITTEE 

B.   In the event a Team Manager believes that Rule 6 is not being properly enforced, the Team Manager shall advise the League ASA umpire, the other Team Manager, and a League Officer. 

C.      The asserted violation will be evaluated, when possible, on an expedited basis, including, if possible, observation of the pitcher in question during the game in which the occurrence of a violation is asserted. 

D.    If the League Officer is able to make its determination while a game is in progress, the League shall so advise the League ASA umpire and the Team Managers of the involved teams, whereupon the umpire shall thereafter invoke all of the options available to the umpire under Section 4 of Rule 6 to restore compliance with Rule 6. 

SPECIAL RULES ADDED FOR LEAGUE PLAY REVISED APRIL 2010

Additional Rule 1. Amendment to the rule for an automatic out due to team reducing its lineup by one or two players during a game.

If Team A loses a player currently in its batting order, and does not have an eligible replacement, Team A is allowed to continue the game, but is forced to take an automatic out in place of the missing player's spot in the batting order. BUT; If TEAM A makes proper notification to the umpire and Team B manager PRE CURRENT HALF INNING; Team B may not intentionally OR unintentionally walk the batter directly preceding the automatic out, in an effort to draw the 3rd out of the inning.

It remains possible to intentionally or unintentionally walk the batter directly preceding the automatic out if the automatic out is NOT the 3rd out of the half inning.

If with two outs a walk of any kind is drawn by the batter preceding the automatic out, the automatic out's spot in the order is skipped, and the batter directly following the automatic out is now awarded and at bat.

Notification must be made to both the umpire and the opposing manager before the half inning the first time Team A will bat knowing an automatic out is in their lineup. Otherwise, Team B is allowed to walk the batter preceding the automatic out, intentionally or unintentionally, to bring the third out of the half inning by the automatic out.

Additional Rule 2. Amendment to rules allowing Teams to start a game with only 8 players.

Teams are now allowed to start a game with only 8 players. Teams may play an entire game with 8 players, but if a 9th and or 10th player arrives he can be immediately inserted into the field, and the players are then added to the batting order in the 9th and 10th spots respective to their arrival. (Rule 4, Section 1C3). Section 4: A team batting 9, 10 or 11 players may finish a game with a minimum of 8 players, however, each time a missing player’s spot is due up in the batting order, an out shall be declared (Rule 7, Section 2)

Teams may no longer use a uniformed player from another team to make up their 8th, 9th or 10th player. Teams may use another person at the fields who is not a regular member of an individual team to fill in if necessary without penalty. If a new member of the league is present, and has not been pre-assigned a team, that player may be added to the team in need of an 8th, or 9th player.

The term uniformed player is mean to read, "player who is a regular member of a specific team." Actual wearing of the teams uniform that the player is a member of is not necessary for him to be deemed a "uniformed player"

Additional Rule 3. Amendment to the Rules for Courtesy Runner. 

A Courtesy Runner will be allowed for any player, at anytime in an individual game. THIS WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED ONCE PER GAME, PER TEAM.
The actual runner is determined by choice of the opposing team's manager. The courtesy runner will be selected from the previous 4 batters in the line-up and must be a player who is not currently on base.
For Example: If the runner is in the 5th spot in the order, only batters 1 through 4 can be chosen from. The key, though, is that the OPPOSING TEAM chooses the runner from the available players.
This rule does not affect any player’s status to re-enter a ball game. Acting as a Courtesy Runner does not qualify as an official entry into a game.
It is possible to pinch run for Player A, have player A re-enter the game, and then courtesy run for Player A later in the game and Player A is STILL IN THE LINEUP. All pinch runners are deemed pinch runners unless notification of the player being deemed as a Courtesy Runner to the umpire and opposing manager is made previous to the 1st pitch in the at bat where the runner is switched.

Additional Rule 4. Amendment to the Rules for Sliding and Prohibition on Take Out Slides

When a defensive player has the ball and is waiting for the runner and the runner remains on their feet and deliberately, with great force, crashes into the defensive player, the runner is out.  If the act is considered flagrant, the runner shall also be ejected from the game.

On a close play at a base or at home plate, a base runner must either slide to avoid a collision, attempt to go around the defensive player, or may give himself up by allowing the defensive player to apply a tag without causing a collision. A runner may run 3 feet out of the base line in an attempt to get around a fielder or avoid contact. 

Players may slide either feet or head first into any base.  When sliding on a force play, players must slide directly into a base (i.e. “Take Out” slides away from the base are forbidden). Players are allowed to slide away from a base or home plate on a tag play in an effort to avoid being tagged out.

The fielder cannot block a base, home plate, or a base path without possession of the ball.

Penalty for failure to avoid collision:
  1. The runner is automatically out. The ball is dead and no offensive player may advance an additional base.
  2. Anytime a runner deliberately and maliciously crashes into a fielder, he should be ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Penalty for take-out slide away from a base—Interference is called:
  1. The ball is dead and the runner is automatically out. All runners must return to the last base touched at the time of the interference.
  2. If this interference, in the umpire’s judgment, is an attempt to prevent a double play and occurs before the runner is put out, the immediate trailing runner shall also be called out.
  3. Both teams are warned that any subsequent take out slides will result in ejection of the offending player.
  4. No ejection will result on the initial occurrence unless there was anything more than incidental contact with the defensive player or if the umpire deems that there was intent to injure.

Notes:

1.      The intent of this rule is to prevent injuries and not to eject players. Offending players should however be ejected if their carelessness results in an injury or is deemed to be flagrant.

2.      If the fielder does not have possession of the ball and a collision occurs as he steps into the path of the runner while attempting to catch a thrown ball, there is no penalty unless the umpire judges the collision to be deliberate and malicious.

HEAD-TO-HEAD TIEBREAKERS

 The following is the tie-breaker procedure which was approved by all team representatives prior to the start of the 1998 season.

 Tie-Breaker Procedure:

When a tie in winning percentage occurs in the standings between two or more teams, the order of finish is determined by  BEST RECORD (Highest Winning Percentage) in games between tied teams. The highest winning percentage team would be positioned first, the lowest winning percentage team would be positioned last. The procedure continues for any remaining tied teams as follows:

    1. Best Record (Highest winning percentage) in games between tied teams.
    2. Best difference between runs for and runs against in games between tied teams.
    3. Best difference between runs for and runs against over the entire regular season.
    4. Highest regular season average runs scored per game.
    5. Special Emergency GM Meeting.

2002 ASA Re-Entry Rule

RE-ENTRY.

A. Any player may be substituted and re-entered once, providing players occupy the same batting positions whenever in the line-up.

B. Players may not re-enter a second time. The starting player and their substitute may not be in the line-up at the same time.

C. If a player re-enters the game a second time or a player re-enters the game in a position in the batting order other than their original starting or substitute position, this is considered an illegal re-entry.

EFFECT – Section A-C: Violation of the re-entry rule is considered an illegal player. The illegal player is disqualified. See Rule 4, Section 7 for additional penalties.

COMMENTS: To allow more participation in the game. This new ruling allows substitutes to re-enter. It was the feeling that if starting players could re-enter, then the substitute was penalized if he/she could not re-enter.
 

 2018 Pikesville Men’s Softball League Scheduling Notes & Information

  1. Legal Bats -- consult Howard Goldberg for questions concerning legality of any bat.
  1. Postponement Decisions on league voicemail system 443-501-4050 by Sunday 7:45 A.M. Do not call me on Sunday mornings!
  2. Umpire fees are $45 per team per week.
  3. Ejection Fines $10 per game per player / $ 10 per game per team
  4. Final scores and pitchers of decision to Mike Herr via league voicemail 443-501-4050 before leaving parking lot.
  5. Weekly Highlights (with correct spelling, punctuation, grammar) via e-mail by 8 PM Sunday.
  6. Mandatory First Aid Kits and CPR Masks.—CPR Masks available for $10.

 

2018 Scheduling Notes

  1. Any game suspended prior to becoming an official game (5 innings) will be deemed postponed unless 3 other games have been played to official status. In addition, any game not completing 3 full innings is automatically restarted.
  2. A minimum of 8 regular season games is required for participation in Playoff games. If a player is injured during the season and unable to qualify because of the injury, a petition for an exemption may be made to the league commissioner.
  3. A $25 Fine plus total umpire fees will be charged to a team for EACH game forfeited. Fines are due before the teams next game. Forfeit fines will be enforced throughout the Playoffs.
  4. BOTH teams are responsible for getting the field into playing condition or for making a decision to cancel their game.
  5. A coin flip will be held prior to the start of each doubleheader with the winner of the coin flip deciding on home team/visiting team for game 1. The roles will reverse for game 2.
  6. Any player ejected from any game must be reported via phone to league voicemail 443-501-4050 or via e-mail on Sunday. Ejection Fines $10 per game per player / $ 10 per game per team. Any player ejected from 2 or more weeks will be suspended from play the following week.  A 3rd ejection will result in a 2-week suspension.