A) MISSION

The National Junior Baseball League (“NJBL” or the “League”) is dedicated to developing and enhancing the skills of young ball players through competitive travel baseball while maintaining a high degree of good sportsmanship.

B) GENERAL RULES:

Good sportsmanship will be exhibited at all times by all persons.

1. Team managers are responsible for their players, coaches and fans and shall maintain an atmosphere of good sportsmanship.

2. Officials are not to be berated and judgment calls are not to be questioned. Only officials may call time out; all others must request time out. In the event parents, relatives and friends of a player interfere with officials or the game, the player will be benched for violation of this rule.

3. If a question arises pertaining to a rule interpretation, the team manager, and only the team manager, shall have a discussion with an official and the discussion shall be carried on calmly.

4. Alcoholic beverages, foul language, abusive language or gestures are strictly prohibited. This includes players, coaches or fans.

5. Throwing of equipment or fighting may result in ejection from the game.

6. Field areas should be kept clean and free of litter. Equipment should be kept in the dugout or away from the playing area.

7. Any team / organization failing to cooperate and adhere to the rules and regulations may, at the discretion of the Commissioner, be expelled from the League.

8. Only team personnel are allowed on the field or in the dugouts. All other persons should be in the appropriate spectator areas.

9. Smoking or tobacco products are prohibited on the field or in the dugouts.

10. On fields where there are no dugouts or fences, spectators and players must be behind the side fences of the backstop.

11. During league double headers, each team will have an opportunity to be the home team. The scheduled home team will have first choice as to which game they want to have home team status.

12. The playoff format will be as follows:

-single elimination to get to Championship Series; best two out of three wins Championship Series; home field for single elimination games goes to the team with the best record;

-a neutral field, when available, will be used for Championship Games. If no neutral field is available, home field will go to team with best league record;

-a coin toss will determine home team for first game in Championship Series and third game if necessary;

-mercy rule applies to all games;

-no time limit for any playoff game in the case of a tie game; (note- regular season rules apply regarding complete games)

-all league pitching rules apply;

-Championship games- the first two games must be played as if it is a double header. Regardless of when the doubleheader is played, the NJBL doubleheader rules will apply. The league recommends beginning the championship series with a doubleheader.

13. All injuries must be reported in writing to the League at 4 White Spruce Lane, Hauppauge, and NY 11788 within 48 hours.

C) WEATHER CONDITIONS / LIGHTNING

1) Every effort should be made to allow games to be played. A suspension of game play for 30 minutes without improvement in weather conditions will warrant the game to be called and appropriate rules will apply, i.e., suspended game or official game.

2) Extreme temperatures during the summer months do not constitute a reason to cancel a game. If the scheduled games are not fulfilled, those teams not playing will be subject to forfeiture and fines and zero points will be awarded for games not played.

3) As soon as lightning is visible or thunder is heard the game must be stopped. Play may continue after a 30-minute wait. If there is a second lightning/thunder incident AFTER the 30-minute wait, the game is cancelled. If the first game of a doubleheader is cancelled due to lightning/thunder the second game of the doubleheader is also cancelled.

4) If a started game is cancelled due to inclement weather and it is canceled before it becomes an official game, the game must be replayed from the first inning unless both managers agree to continue from the point of cancellation. (This must be done in presence of the umpire).

D) GROUND RULES

1. Ground rules and division rules will be discussed with the visiting manager and the officials prior to the start of the game.

2. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HOME FIELD TEAM TO NOTIFY THE VISITING TEAM AND UMPIRE-IN-CHIEF OF ANY CANCELLATIONS DUE TO WEATHER OR WEATHER RELATED CONDITIONS, OR, IF BOTH TEAMS ELECT TO CANCEL THE GAME THE HOME TEAM MANAGER MUST NOTIFY THE UMPIRES.

3. Every effort should be made to play games as scheduled.

4. Home field teams are solely responsible for conditions of playing fields.

E) EQUIPMENT, FIELDS, UNIFORMS, RECORDS

1. The home field team will supply the field ready for play and a minimum of two balls or more if necessary.

2. Batting and running helmets are mandatory. The Noxsee sticker must be affixed to all helmets.

3. Hats must be worn while in the line - up. Shirts must be tucked in.

4. Each team members’ uniform number should be different.

5. Each catcher must wear a protective cup, mask, throat protector, hard hat, chest protector and shin guards during games and warming up. The Noxsee sticker must be affixed.

6. Bats must be in good condition and not altered in any unauthorized manner. Aluminum bats must have welded handle. Teams that play on 60’ bases can only use a bat with a diameter of 2 1/4”. For teams that play on 75’ bases - bats allowed are 2 3/4”, minus 8 1/2 or less, 2 5/8 minus 10 or less or 2 1/4. Bats having anything other than straight handles are illegal. All aluminum bats must have a handle grip.

7. The officials may remove from the game any equipment that they deem unsuitable or unsafe for competition.

8. Metal spikes are prohibited in the 12 and under division. High School Rules apply in the 13 and older divisions.

9. Baseballs- authorized baseballs are listed on page ten. Baseballs used by the 12-year-old division will be chosen from the major division approved baseball list. NOTE: Except where noted, all other rules pertaining to the 12 year olds will be according to the minor division rules.

10. All pitching records are to be reported on the Website when entering scores.

11. Fields must be in playing condition. If possible, fields should be lined at the start of the first game. The Commissioner may award forfeitures if the field is deemed unprepared.

12. Highly visible foul poles, cones or other visible apparatus should be in position.

13. Pitching rubber MUST be anchored unless prohibited by local code. Bases should be anchored unless prohibited by local code.

14. Organizations should have on-deck circles in a safe area. If the umpire ascertains that an on-deck circle is not in a safe area, he will have it moved to a safe area.

15. Managers are required to enter their roster on the website prior to the first game.

16. Wood bats are permitted in any division. There is no “minus” requirement for a wood bat.

F) LINE-UPS

Prior to the start of each game team managers will be responsible for exchanging a line-up containing the name and uniform number of all players listed in the order in which they will bat and their defensive position. Any changes in the line-up after the initial exchange must be immediately brought to the attention of the opposing manager and must be in accordance with the rules.

G) SUBSTITUTIONS

A starting player, who has been removed from the game, may be reinserted once under the following conditions:

1. The player must return to his original spot in the batting order.

2. Only a starting player is eligible to be reinserted and he may only be reinserted once per game.

3. The player does not have to return to his original defensive position.

4. Teams have the option of using one or two extra hitters according to the following rules and conditions:

(a) A team must have ten or more players prior to the start of the game;

(b) The Extra Hitter (EH) cannot be added after the start of the game;

(c) A team has the option of using or not using the EH;

(d) The EH can be substituted for and is entitled to reentry;

(e) There is unlimited defensive substitution. Note: all pitching rules must be followed.

(f) Under no conditions may a player reenter a game in other than his original position in the batting order.

(g) The EH is considered a starting player. If a team elects to use an EH, they must finish the game with a player in that position in the batting order. If an EH has to leave a game for any other reason than an injury that the EH has suffered in that game, and there is no replacement for that EH, every time that EH is due to bat it becomes an automatic out.

5. The use of a DH is prohibited.

H) ROSTERS

1. For 13 and under teams, a minimum of 12 players and maximum of 18 players are permitted on a roster. For 14 and older teams, the minimum amount is 12 and the maximum amount is 24. Team age is determined by the age of the oldest player on April 30th of the current year.

2. Rosters must be filled out completely for the seasons during which standings are kept.

3. A player may be added to a roster without league approval if it is done within 30 days of the first game of the season. Additions to the roster after this time period may be restricted and will require League approval. Under no circumstances can an unregistered player participate in a game.

4. If there is a question of a player’s eligibility, the League must be notified in writing.

5. If the League determines that an ineligible player was on the winning team, the team will forfeit the game and will be fined $50.00. If the League determines that an ineligible player was on the losing team, the team will be fined $50.00. Note: an ineligible player is defined as a player not on the roster or illegally on the roster.

6. A player from the same organization may play on two teams as long as they are in different divisions. All pitching rules must be followed.

7. Any team that plays a game without their team roster on file cannot earn points for a win. The Commissioner has the final say regarding awarding of points.

8. In order for a player to be eligible to participate in a playoff or championship game, that player must have played in a minimum of one half of the scheduled season games.

I) PITCHING RULES: 14 and under division only

(15 and older divisions – High School rules apply)

1. Pitchers can only pitch in one game per day.

2. It is the responsibility of the individual team officials to ensure the well being of their pitchers regardless of what the rules allow.

3. See Pitching Restrictions chart: regarding pitches allowed per day, mandatory day’s rest for a pitcher and maximum pitches per day. If a pitcher reaches the limit while pitching to a batter the pitcher may continue to pitch until the batter is put out or reaches first base- managers discretion. Intentional walk- no pitches thrown-no pitches added to count.

4. A pitch is defined as any ball thrown by the pitcher, while time is in, which is declared by the umpire to be a ‘ball’, ‘strike’ or ‘hit’. This includes a ‘foul ball’ or a’ batter struck by a pitch’.

5. PITCH COUNT- every manager is responsible for delegating a person to count pitches thrown by his team as well as the opposing team. At the end of EVERY inning, or when a pitcher is removed from the game as the pitcher, both teams will record the pitch count for every pitcher in their team scorebook. Additionally, at the end of EVERY inning both teams will confer with each other to confirm the pitch count. If there is a discrepancy, the umpire will have the final say. Upon completion of the game the pitch count will be recorded on the web site when the scores are entered. This information will be available for all managers in that division to inspect.

6. Any violation of this rule must be communicated to the Commissioner in the form of a protest. If a manger observes a violation he must inform the umpire AND the opposing manager immediately. The Commissioner will examine all facts of the violation, decide if the protest is valid and if any further action will be taken. All managers are advised that the purpose of this rule is to insure the well being of all pitchers is considered. This is not a rule enacted to give a manager the opportunity to capitalize on an administrative error by another manager. Frivolous protests will not be upheld.

PITCHING RESTRICTIONS:

14 and Under ONLY (15 and 16 year olds follow High School Rules)

Age Group	Pitches Allowed	Days Rest	Maximum Pitches per Day
8 Year Olds	1- 20 21-35 36-50 51-65	0 1 2 3	65
9 year olds	1 - 20 21-40 41-60 61-70	0 1 2 3	70
10 year olds	1- 20 21-40 41-60 61-75	0 1 2 3	75
11 year olds	1- 20 21-40 41-60 61-80	0 1 2 3	80
12 year olds	1- 20 21-40 41-60 61-80	0 1 2 3	80
13 and 14 year olds	1- 20 21-40 41-60 61-90	0 1 2 3	90

J) FORFEITURES

1. A forfeiture will be awarded under the following circumstances:

a. A team is not ready to play 15 minutes after the scheduled game time. In the case of a double-header, the umpire will wait an additional 15 minutes before calling for a forfeit of the second game.

b. A team is unable to field at least 8 players throughout the entire game.

c. If, in the Commissioner’s judgment, a forfeit is warranted.

d. Fields must be in playing condition prior to the start of the game. Forfeitures may be awarded if the field is unprepared or deemed hazardous to players due to neglect of the home field team. In the case of a doubleheader, if the field cannot be made playable within 15 minutes, the second game will also be forfeited. The umpire-in-chief will be responsible for determining if the field is playable once the game begins.

e. After the schedule has been completed and certified by both managers, a manager will be allowed to cancel a maximum of 2 games because of a non-NJBL tournament they are participating in. If a team cancels any game over that 2 game allotments that they may compete in a non-NJBL tournament those games will count as forfeits.

2. Organizations will be fined $25.00 per forfeit.

3. Teams who forfeit more than two games risk expulsion from the League.