Macintosh Baseball league  

General Rules

Summary

This document serves to clarify some of the more important rules of baseball and to emphasize the philosophy and goals of our league. In addition to these rules, coaches should always have a copy of the official Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken Baseball rules with them. Unless noted in this document, the Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken Rules will be followed for all games.

Games & Scoring

  1. If a team cannot field at least 8 players within 15 minutes after the scheduled start time of the game, the game will count as a forfeit for that team (loss). Forfeits will be scored as 6-0
  2. Teams are strongly encouraged to play all of their scheduled games.
  3. Coaches (and coaches only) are allowed to use electronic devices/cell phones during games.
  4. There are NO protests allowed any level. 
  5. All regular season games will start promptly at their scheduled time, and end;
  6. Minors & Majors, no new inning can start after 2 hours.
  7. Juniors & Seniors, no new inning can start after 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  8. The umpire should make every effort to notify both teams of the official start time at the commencement of the game. (Example: Monday Minors game - the umpire announces to both managers that it is 6:02 pm according to his watch and no new inning will be started after 8:02 pm)
  9. You do not need to wait until the scheduled time to start a game, if both teams and the umpire are ready to go, feel free to start the game early.
  10. The umpire has full authority to call the game earlier than the time limits above due to weather, darkness, or any other mitigating circumstance.
  11. Both teams will be able to have the playing field for a 10-minute practice before the game begins. Visiting teams should allow for travel time and arrive 30 minutes before game time for their warmups. The home team will warm up first but MUST ALLOW the visiting team to begin their warmup 20 minutes before the start of the game. The last 10 minutes are reserved for the pregame coaches & umpires meeting and for the home team to take the field for warmups. NO PRE-GAME, ON FIELD BATTING PRACTICE IS ALLOWED.
  12. Example of game arrival/warm-up times for a 6pm game start:
  13. Home team player arrival is no later than 5:20pm, must conduct their on-field warm-ups between 5:30 – 5:40pm
  14. Visiting team player arrival is no later than 5:30pm, must conduct their on-field warm-ups between 5:40 – 5:50pm
  15. It is recommended that players arrive an additional 10 minutes earlier to stretch – very important to stretch!
  16. Pregame conference between coaches and the umpire is at 5:50pm
  17. Home team should take the field by 5:55pm
  18. First pitch should happen no later than 6:00pm
  19. During the pregame coaches & umpires meeting, the coaches are required to inform the umpire which players are ineligible to pitch due to previous games pitch counts/innings.
  20. The home team is responsible for paying the umpire(s) and for supplying 2 new game balls. The home team is also responsible for ensuring the field is in safe condition for play (i.e., no holes in the batter’s box or pitching mound, the area around the bases is raked, etc.).
  21. Each team is responsible for cleaning the trash out of their bench area after each game.
  22. There is a a 6-inning limit for Minors & Majors and a 7-inning limit for Juniors & Seniors unless the game is tied, in which case extra innings must be played. All regular season games will play to their natural end (including extra innings) unless the allotted time for the game is reached, or the game is ended because of darkness or weather.
  23. In Minors, a victory must be conceded to the winning team if:
  24. At the end of the 3rd inning, one team has a lead of twelve (12) runs.
  25. At the end of the 4th inning or the end of the top of the 4th inning if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of eight (8) runs or more. 
  26. During the bottom of the 4th if the home team goes up by eight (8) runs the game is immediately conceded.
  27. In Majors, a victory must be conceded to the winning team if:
  28. At the end of the 3rd inning or the end of the top of the 3rd inning if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of fifteen (15) runs or more.
  29. At the end of the 4th inning or the end of the top of the 4th inning if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of ten (10) runs or more.
  30. During the bottom of the 4th if the home team goes up by ten (10) runs the game is immediately conceded.
  31. In Juniors & Seniors, a victory must be conceded to the winning team if:
  32. At the end of the 4th inning or the end of the top of the 4th inning if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of ten (10) runs or more.
  33. At the end of the 5th inning or the end of the top of the 5th inning if the home team is ahead, one team has a lead of eight (8) runs or more.
  34. During the bottom of the 4th if the home team goes up by ten (10) runs the game is immediately conceded.

zIf a mercy is called, the victory must be conceded to the winning team. IMPORTANT: The score at the time of concession is what must be reported on the MAC website. No further scorekeeping should be kept after the concession. However:

  1. The game may be continued to be played until its natural end, but there is now a 2-run limit per inning at all levels of play. 
  2. All pitching stats must continue be recorded and will count against the pitcher’s pitch count restrictions.
  3. (DRAFT) If a team is winning by 10 runs prior to the mercy rule being able to be called, the team that is behind has their innings per run limit lifted.
  4. The coach of the winning team MUST POST THE SCORE on the MAC League Website within 24 hours or prior to their next scheduled game whichever comes first. 
  5. Both teams must report the number of pitches thrown by all their players regardless of a win or loss. Enter first name, last initial, uniform number, and total pitches thrown. This information will be used to ensure compliance to our pitching limitations rules and for the safety of the kids. 
  6. Away teams, make sure you understand the facility rules for the field you are traveling to, and that you inform your parents of those rules. Many towns have their own rules that must be followed. One such rule, is that many towns do not allow dogs at their fields.

CALL UP Process

  1. Teams that cannot field enough players for a game may add “CALL UP” players.
  2. CALL UP players must come from a lower division (not from within the same division)
  3. You may only CALL UP enough players to get to a game day roster of 10 players.
  4. CALL UP players are allowed to pitch but must not neglect their responsibility to their rostered team. Any pitches thrown by a CALL UP are counted against their rostered teams pitch counts.
  5. CALL UP players should always be placed at the bottom of the lineup.
  6. CALL UP players should never be given priority over rostered players. Outside of the 6 required defensive outs, a rostered player should not be sitting on the bench with a call up player active in the field.

Games Not Played

  1. A game should NEVER be cancelled for any reason other than weather. If you have scheduling conflicts, use the CALL UP system to bring players up to ensure the games can be played. 
  2. If a game is canceled, both coaches need to arrange a make-up date for a game to be played within 24 hours of the originally scheduled game or the end of regular season, whichever comes first. Games should be rescheduled as close to the original date as possible. Please work with your league directors to help find a local field, or even asking a neighboring town to borrow their field to get a makeup game in sooner.
  3. The Home team shall have the opportunity to arrange a home field first. If the Home team cannot schedule a field within 2 days, the Visiting team will try to schedule the game on their field (with the original home team still being the home team).
  4. Games not played or unreported by the conclusion of the regular season will be ignored and no points or runs will be awarded to either team.

Rain Outs / Incomplete Games / Lightning Policy / Darkness

  1. In early Spring many games that are not under lights will not make 6 full innings. Work with your umpires to make sure you are able to try to finish the complete inning before you start it. At this time of year, starting a new inning after 7:40 can be near impossible to finish before it gets too dark.  Note - this is not a rule, this is just a recommendation.
  2. In the event of bad weather, the home team coach is responsible for calling both the umpire and visiting team coach, 2 hours prior to the start of the game. 
  3. No game should be called more than 2 hours before the scheduled game start. Coaches should make every effort to try to get a game in, even during light/moderate rain.
  4. A game is a regulation game after the fourth inning has been completed or, if the home team is ahead, after the completion of three and a half innings. A game postponed before or in the first inning will be restarted at an agreed upon time. A game postponed after the second inning is started and before the fourth inning is completed will be resumed at the point which it stopped. Even in a cancelled or postponed game, all statistics, including the pitch counts must still be counted (and the batting orders, where possible, should be kept intact).
  5. After the first pitch is thrown, a game can only be canceled by the umpires.
  6. If lightning occurs, the game should be immediately stopped, and all players are to seek covered shelter. No game should resume until at least 15 minutes after the last visible showing of lightning.  When the game resumes, if one of the teams no longer has enough players to field a team, it will be considered a forfeit.
  7. In the event a game is called due to weather/darkness during an inning, the score will be rolled back to what is was at the end of the previous inning. Pitch counts will not get rolled back, and must be reported at the moment the game was called.

Equipment and Attire

  1. All batters and base runners must wear a batting helmet.
  2. Youth Base Coaches must always wear helmets.
  3. Players may NOT wear watches, rings, pins, necklaces, jewelry, or other metallic items. Exception: Medically relevant bracelets.
  4. Pitchers may NOT wear sweatbands on their wrists. 

Sportsmanship

  1. When any player, coach or spectator raises their voice/argues at/with an umpire, the umpire will call over both coaches, and have the coaches issue a warning to the offending person. If the behavior continues, the umpire will again call over both coaches, and the coaches will eject that person from the game. That person will then serve a minimum of a one-game suspension that will be enforced at the town level. If after being suspended once, that person is ejected again, it will be recommended to the town that they be suspended for the remainder of the season.
  2. A coach on one team, may NEVER yell at a player on another team for any reason. If there is an issue with a player on another team, the coach may speak with the other coach or umpire only. Any coach who yells at another team’s player will be ejected from the game and will serve a one game suspension.
  3. One of the most important things we are trying to teach the players is good sportsmanship. Coaches should not accept the kids’ throwing helmets, arguing with umpires, heckling the other team or other similar types of behavior. If/when these types of incidents occur, the coach needs to deal with it immediately.
  4. At the end of the game, players must line up and shake hands with the other team.
  5. Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth prohibits taunting of opposing players, coaches, or umpires. The rule states that “No manager, coach, or player, shall at any time, whether from the bench or the playing field or elsewhere use language which will in any manner refer to or reflect upon opposing players, manager, coach, an umpire or spectators.” If your team is on the receiving end of any taunting, you should have the umpire put a stop to it immediately. If the umpire is unable or unwilling to do so, issues of this sort should be brought to the attention of the MAC League board right away.
  6. We expect and encourage that the kids chant and get loud cheering their teammates on during their teams at bats. These chants should never be negative towards anyone on the other team, and chanting/cheering is not the same as screaming. The moment a pitcher starts his wind up, all noise must immediately stop.

Umpires

  1. Umpires will call balls and strikes and all safe/out calls on the bases. Neither coaches, parents or players may dispute any call by an umpire at any time. Failure to adhere to this rule may result in the coach being removed from the league for this and all future seasons. If a coach has a question on a rule interpretation, he/she may raise it with the umpire after the inning – however, an umpire's decision is final and binding. Even if you are not in agreement with the umpire, arguments will not be tolerated. It is extremely important to note that the players will be watching you and your actions, and you will be setting an example.
  2. An umpire can stop an active play at any time they feel it is warranted. An example of this is, if a player gets hurt during a play, the umpire has the option (not the requirement) to stop the play. The umpire will use their discretion to determine the best course of action for each play. If the umpire does not stop play, the ball is still live and should be played as such.
  3. Umpires should be paid before the game starts - whenever possible.
  4. During the regular season, the home team is responsible for paying the umpires.
  5. (DRAFT) Umpires should be paid the following:
  6. Minors
  7. Junior Umpires
  8. $30 each (2 Umpires)
  9. $40 (1 Umpire)
  10. Senior Umpires - $60
  11. Majors - $80 (1 Senior Umpire)
  12. Juniors - $100 (1 Senior Umpire)
  13. Seniors - $75 each (2 Senior Umpires)
  14. Junior Umpires
  15. 12+ Years Old
  16. May or may not have received their Babe Ruth official patch/annual (re)certification.
  17. If 18+ Must have passed both a Massachusetts CORI & completed the SafeSport Requirements.
  18. Not eligible to umpire during postseason games.
  19. Senior Umpires
  20. 15+ Years Old
  21. Must have received their Babe Ruth official patch/annual (re)certification.
  22. Must have at least two years of experience as an umpire.
  23. If 18+ Must have passed both a Massachusetts CORI & completed the SafeSport Requirements.
  24. In Minors, Junior Umpires, should be used whenever possible.
  25. Two umpires should be scheduled for any game where Junior Umpires are planned.
  26. Junior Umpires may not be used in any playoff games.  
  27. Coaches need to work with the Junior Umpires to help ensure the game is run smoothly. 
  28. Coaches should remind spectators that these are Junior Umpires who might have little to no experience.
  29. Junior Umpires must do their best to remain unbiased. It is required that they not wear clothing/hats that supports one team over another
  30. Umpires are the responsibility of the home team to provide. For a Majors and up game, if the home team is unable to field a Senior umpire, the home team will have to forfeit. The game should still be played as a scrimmage using at either Junior Umpires, Parents or Coaches.
  31. Coaches are encouraged to raise any issues and/or problems with an umpires’ performance to their local leagues umpire coordinator immediately following the game, who will in turn, if deemed necessary, raise the issue with the MAC board.
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