Youth baseball is often a memorable time in a child's life. Being on a baseball team with friends and neighbors, wearing uniforms and playing in a league can be great fun. But baseball is also competitive, and while winning is not a priority, it is certainly a goal to do the best you can and learn all the rules. There are rules in youth league baseball that are quite a bit different from the game played by high-school and older players.
Field and Other Measures
The field in youth baseball is significantly smaller than the one used by older players. The bases are 60 feet apart compared to 90 feet apart on the fields used by adults. The pitcher's mound is 46 feet from home plate. Adult leagues have a pitcher's mound that is 60 feet and 6 inches from home plate. In youth league baseball, the maximum length of a bat is 33 inches, while an adult league bat can be 42 inches long.
Playing Time
In youth league baseball, games are six innings long, and all players must play at least two innings per game and get at least one at bat if the game goes six innings. In many youth leagues, if a team is ahead by 10 runs after five innings or 15 runs after four innings, the game is declared over and the team ahead is the winner as a result of the "mercy" rule. In youth league baseball, players may re-enter the game at any point. If a player started the game in the field, he may sit on the bench for an inning or two and then return to the game without penalty. Pitchers may not pitch more than three innings in any game, and must not pitch for the next two days. This is not an issue if games are spaced out over three or four days. However, if games are played on consecutive days or every other day, pitchers who pitched two or more innings in one game must rest.
Safety Equipment
All players must wear batting helmets when at bat, on deck or on base. The helmet must have ear flaps. A cage over the front of the mask is not a requirement, but it is allowed. A safety base is placed next to first base to be used by the runner. The safety base is an orange base that is adjacent to first base and is primarily in foul territory. The first baseman makes his plays at first base, while the runner steps on the safety base. This is to avoid collisions.
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