Before a baseball game begins, each team is required to hand their playing roster to the home plate umpire. There are certain rules each team must abide by when turning the roster in, as well as during play. Knowing these rules will help you from making an amateur mistake on the field.
The Original Roster
When the roster is handed in, it must contain a list of all eligible players. The roster includes what position everyone is going to play, the batting order and players that are on the substitution list. An eligible player is one that has not been suspended by the league and has all proper documentation allowing him to play.
Pitching
When the official roster is handed in, the pitcher named as starting pitcher must pitch to the first batter. He must pitch until the batter is either out or has made it to first base. There cannot be a substitution until one of these conditions are met. Once there is a substitution, the original pitcher cannot return to the game. There can be more than one substitution if needed throughout the game.
Batting
In the official roster, there is a required lineup stating who is going to bat in a particular order. If for some reason a batter is skipped, that is an automatic out. The nine players on the roster cannot be substituted for each other. If there is need for a substitution, it must be one of the designated substitutes.
Running
Once a player makes it to base, the coach can request a pinch runner. This means someone can run for the guy on base, and the guy on base comes back to the dugout. The rules for pinch runners require the guy replacing the batter must be a substitute and cannot be from the original nine on the roster. No player that has been taken out of the game can return as a pinch runner.
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