Little League Refines Baseball Pitching Rules for 2008
Changes to the 2008 Regular Season Pitching Regulations For Baseball Divisions of Little League®
1. Any player on a regular season team may pitch. (NOTE: There is no limit to the number of pitchers a team may use in a game.) 2. Players once removed from the mound may not return as pitchers; A pitcher remaining in the game, but moving to a different position, can return as a pitcher anytime in the remainder of the game, but only once per game. 3. The manager must remove the pitcher when said pitcher reaches the limit for his/her age group as noted below, but the pitcher may remain in the game at another position:
The table below gives an overview of the number of pitches that will be allowed per day for each age group during the regular season in 2008.
The rest periods required during the 2008 regular season are listed below. • If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest, and a game must be observed. • If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest, and a game must be observed. • If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar days of rest must be observed. • If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar day of rest is required.
Exception: If a pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation VI (c) for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until any one of the following conditions occurs: 1. That batter reaches base; 2. That batter is put out; 3. The third out is made to complete the half-inning.
NOTE: A pitcher who delivers one or more pitches in a game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that day.
• A pitcher who delivers one or more pitches in a game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that day. This was a recommendation of Dr. Andrews and Dr. Fleisig, and is intended to further prevent overuse injuries. The position of catcher, according to Dr. Andrews and Dr. Fleisig, has the second-most overuse injuries, which can be acerbated by moving from pitcher to catcher in the same day. (However, moving from pitcher to any of the other seven positions, or from catcher to pitcher, apparently does not cause the same concerns.
• Pitchers league age 16 and under who deliver 41 or more pitches in a game must also have a game of rest, in addition to the number of days rest prescribed. This enhancement is designed to help ensure that teams develop more pitchers, and to help ensure that scheduling anomalies do not result in undue advantages for some teams.
• The “automatic” intentional walk was removed. If a pitcher wishes to intentionally walk a batter, he/she must do so by pitching four pitches intentionally outside the strike zone that are not struck at by the batter, and are called “balls” by the umpire. All such pitches will count in determining that pitcher’s pitch count.
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