Junior League baseball goes by several names throughout the United States, including Little League, Pony League and Babe Ruth League. It is for baseball players who are 13- and 14-year-olds. While many of the rules of the game are similar to baseball played at the higher levels of play, there are a few key rule differences. Most of them have to do with pitchers and how many innings they may pitch per week.
Basics of Junior League Baseball
The length of all Junior League baseball games is seven innings. If the home team is ahead after the visiting team has batted in the top of the seventh inning, it does not bat in the bottom of the inning. Teams play extra innings if the games are tied and the game is played until a winner has been decided. If a game has to be stopped due to darkness or weather when the score is tied will be resumed at a later date at the point it was stopped. The mound is 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate and the basepaths are 90 feet. These are the same standards used at the high school, college and professional level. Outfield fences are not required on Junior League fields.
Lineup and Playing Time
A Junior League lineup consists of 10 batters and nine fielders. The nine players in the field shall all bat in the game and an extra hitter may also bat. A manager may also choose to use a designated hitter to bat for one of the fielders. That fielder does not have to be the pitcher, as is the case in professional baseball. Managers may use the designated hitter for whatever fielder he chooses. Using a designated hitter and/or an extra hitter are not required. All players who are on a roster must get at least three innings in the field and one at bat in every game.
Pitching
Pitchers may not pitch more than 10 innings in any calendar week. Pitchers may not pitch more than seven innings in any 24-hour period. A pitcher may pitch on consecutive days but may not total more than seven innings over those two days. A pitcher that is removed from the pitcher's mound but stays in the game may return to pitch later in the game. A pitcher who comes out of the game may come back into the game at another position but may not pitch in that game. A pitcher who throws one pitch in a game and comes out is credited with pitching an inning on that particular day.
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