Little League baseball is a youth baseball organization that has various leagues and levels of play from the ages of 9 to 18. The most well-known level is Little League, which is a league for 11 and 12 year old players. Little League plays with different rules than many other levels of baseball that govern game play and field regulations.
Field Dimensions
Little League baseball is played on a field with different dimensions than older levels of play. The Little League bases are 60 feet apart and the pitching mound is 46 feet from home plate, which are both shorter distances than high school leagues and above. According to the Little League website, the recommended fence distance in Little League is an equal 200 feet to all points, but the Little League World Series has begun using a 225-foot fence.
Pitch Count Rules
Little League instituted pitch count rules in 2007 to help protect and hopefully prevent injuries in young pitchers. According to Coconut Creek Little League, Little Leaguer pitchers may throw a maximum of 85 pitches per day. CCLL adds that pitchers must then observe a certain number of days rest based on the number of pitches they threw. For more than 66 pitches, pitchers are required to have four days of rest before pitching, 51 to 65 pitches requires three days of rest, 36 to 50 pitches requires two days of rest and 21 to 35 pitches requires one day of rest. Throwing less than 21 pitches means that a pitcher can pitch the next day. A rest day is counted as a full day without pitching. CCLL notes that pitchers can exceed the limit to complete an at-bat against a hitter and any pitcher who throws over 41 pitches cannot play catcher for the rest of the day in which he pitched.
Game Play Rules
Little League baseball has some rules that differ from other leagues regarding game play. Little League is considered to be a tight base league meaning players are not allowed to take a lead off the base before the ball crosses the plate. This means that runners cannot attempt to steal or advance to the next base until the ball crosses the plate. In addition, Little League games are six innings in length as opposed to seven innings at the higher levels of youth baseball. Little League games can end early with a mercy rule, which occurs when one team is ahead by 10 or more runs after four innings or 3 1/2 innings if the home team is leading.
Substitution Rules
In Little League games that are not all-star or post-season competition, coaches must play each player a minimum amount during each game. According to Norwell Little League, each player must play at least six consecutive outs and have at least one at bat. However, players are permitted to re-enter the game as long as their substitute has fulfilled the minimum playing requirements before the first player re-enters. The re-entry does not have to be for the same player that replaced them, but the replacement player still must satisfy the minimum requirements regardless.
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