All Wexford-Agincourt regulations pertaining to membership, territorial rights, registration, player signing, fees, insurance, classification, playoffs and tournaments shall apply. Readers are reminded that the House League exists to encourage participation and enjoyment of the game by the players, not the parents.

GAME TIME AND CURFEWS

Game times are described in the chart below.                     

 The visiting team will have the field until 15 minutes before game start time for warm-ups and the home team will have the field until 5 minutes before game time. There will be no warm-ups if teams are late.

 If the game is not completed by curfew time it will revert back to the last complete inning.

 All players and coaches should be at the park at least thirty minutes before game time.  A team will be in default if it cannot field eight or more players within 15 minutes after the official game start time. Umpires and coaches are encouraged to begin on time even if a forfeit due to insufficient players is a possibility.

 LENGTH OF OFFICIAL GAME

 Mercy Rule: There will be a maximum of five (5) runs scored per inning allowed. When the fifth run has crossed home plate the inning is over for the offensive team even if there are fewer than three out.

 Mosquito games will be six innings and considered an official game if three innings have been completed or curfew has been reached. There will be no extra innings in regular season play. Each team will be awarded one point if the game ends in a tie.

 If the game is not completed by curfew time it will revert back to the last complete inning.

 RAINOUT GAMES

Notice will be posted on the Wexford-Agincourt website if games are cancelled in advance by the convener

Coaches will be notified as soon as possible before the start of the game by the convenor if the game is to be called a rainout. If the teams are not notified all coaches and players must go to the scheduled park, even though the game may be canceled after they arrive.

Any team not having eight or more players at these games will be in default, and will forfeit the game even though it may have been canceled. The game will be a defaulted game if both teams have less than eight players at game start time and neither team will receive any points for the game.

If, after arriving at the diamond, both coaches cannot agree to the playing conditions of the field, the home plate umpire will make the decision as to whether the game will be played.

SUSPENDED GAME AND LIGHTNING

The home plate umpire will suspend a game for 15 minutes due to weather conditions, if he/she feels there is any chance of finishing the game. If weather conditions have not improved after the 15 minutes, or the field conditions are not safe enough to play on, the game will be canceled and re-scheduled if it was not an official game at the time of cancellation.

In the event that lightning is sighted anywhere near the playing field, the home plate umpire will stop the game and call each of the head coaches to home plate. Between these three individuals, they will decide whether the game should continue, be suspended or called. If no decision can be agreed upon at this point, the home plate umpire will make the final decision. If the game is canceled, coaches and spectators should be instructed to leave the playing area as soon as possible.

LATE PLAYERS

Late players may be added to the end of the batting lineup regardless of when they arrive.

SCORE SHEETS

All teams must keep an official game sheet with proper names and numbers.  All scorekeepers should compare their game sheet to the opposing team’s game sheet after each complete inning to ensure each has the same score.

The winning team must notify the convenor by phone or email (wexford-agincourtbaseball@hotmail.com) within twenty-four hours after the game is completed. If the score is not sent to the convenor, it will not be posted as a win and no points will be awarded for this game.

In the event a game ends in a tie, both teams will be responsible for notifying the convenor within twenty-four hours after the game is completed. If the score is not phoned in, it will not be posted and no points will be awarded for this game. If only one umpire reports for a game, this should be noted by the team(s) reporting the score.

The winning team must have the game sheet signed by the umpire. If the game is tied, both teams must have their game sheets signed by the umpire. All game sheets are to be kept by the team until the season is over in case there is any dispute in scores.

GAME PREPARATIONS

Any game, in which only one umpire or no umpires show up, should be reported to the convenor of the division, by the winning team, as soon as possible after the game. If no umpires show up, coaches should agree on an knowledgable individual, other than one of the coaches, who can act as umpire for the game.  

The visiting team will be responsible for supplying a new ball and a good second ball for the game.

The home team will be responsible for putting down the bases and checking the pitching rubber for the proper distance.

SAFETY

All equipment must be kept in the dugout. No bats or equipment may be left on the ground, in the on-deck circle or playing field. Either umpire will issue one warning if equipment or bats are left in the on-deck circle or the playing field, after the first offense it will be an automatic team out.

No equipment is to be taken from the opposing team without permission from the coach.

Umpires have the right to eject, after one warning, any coach or player throwing equipment unnecessarily. If equipment is thrown in a direction that could cause harm to other players, coaches, spectators or umpires, no warning is necessary.

All players, on deck, at bat, coaching a base or running bases must wear a helmet with a chin strap done up under the chin properly. Helmets may not be removed at any time on the playing field without calling time out and getting permission from one of the umpires or until the player is back in the dugout. Teams will be warned once, then subsequent infractions of this rule will be an automatic out assessed to the team and not the next batter. If the helmet comes off while a player is running the bases, he/she will be allowed to retrieve the helmet when the play is done and must have it on before play can resume. Players taking one pitch without a chinstrap properly fastened will be called out.

The wearing of steel spikes will not be allowed.

Players are required to wear a protective cup during games and practices.

APPEARANCE

Players must wear uniforms as supplied by the league. Team shirts must be tucked in at all times. Defensive players must wear team caps when in the field. All base coaches must wear a team shirt and hat unless the umpire grants permission before game time.

PITCHING

No pitcher may pitch for more than 6 consecutive outs in any one game.

When a pitcher is removed from the pitching mound, he/she will not be allowed to pitch again in the present game.

Coaches must remove the pitcher on the second trip to the mound in any inning. The removed pitcher must be left on the field of play and the relief pitcher must come from the field of play. One additional move on the playing field may be made.

In case of injury to the pitcher, the player entering the game may not pitch in that inning.

Any new pitcher will be allowed eight warm-up pitches. All pitchers who have pitched already in the present game will be allowed five warm-up pitches at the start of an inning.

There will be no balks in the Mosquito division, unless in the judgment of the umpire it was a deliberate attempt to gain advantage of a base runner. When the pitcher has taken his position on the pitcher’s plate, base runners must be ‘on base’.

Any pitcher that hits the opposing team’s batters more than twice in one inning must be removed and may not pitch again in that game.

The umpire will eject any pitcher from the game if he/she feels that the pitcher deliberately threw a pitch at a batter. The umpire must note the ejection on the game sheet and report it to the umpire-in-chief as soon after the game as possible.

The umpire will eject any coach from the game if he/she feels that the coach instructed the pitcher to deliberately throw a pitch at a batter, whether the pitch is thrown or not, and whether the pitch hit the batter or not. The umpire must note the ejection on the game sheet and report it to the umpire-in-chief as soon after the game as possible.

Any pitcher or coach ejected for one of the preceding two rules will receive an automatic two game suspension.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER ROTATION

All players must play equal time. No player may sit out a second inning until all players have sat out one inning. No player may sit out a third inning until all players have sat out two innings. No player may sit out a fourth inning until all players have sat out three innings. No player may sit out two innings in a row. A supplementary score sheet is provided with space to record the defensive player rotation, and teams are encouraged to check the defensive player rotations during each inning by inning check

No player may be placed in the bottom three spots of the batting order more than once in every three consecutive games. Any coach found breaking this rule will be suspended for one game.

Any coach found sitting out players illegally will be assessed an automatic team out during their next at bat and have the proper player placed on the field immediately.  Any coach found doing this more than once in one game will be suspended for the balance of the game and for the next league or playoff game.

Any coach found continually abusing the rotation rules will be suspended for the balance of the year.

FIELDING A DEFENSIVE TEAM

A team will have three minutes from the last out to field a defensive team, including warm-up pitches. If a team fails to field a team in the allotted three minutes, a ball will be awarded to the first batter for each ten seconds the team is late until he/she has been awarded first base on four balls. The second batter will assume the same penalty, etc.

There will be no lead off until the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. Runners violating this rule will be called out.

There will be no running on a missed third strike by the catcher. The batter will be automatically called out on the third strike.

One warning per game will be assessed to a team that has a batter throw the bat while in the batter’s box. Any additional batters throwing the bat will be called out with no warning.

INJURIES

The umpire may call time immediately in the case of an injury. The play will be automatically called dead and no further advancement will be allowed.

If a base runner gets injured, he/she must be replaced by the last player out. If a batter is injured while batting, the opposing coach will pick the player to replace him/her.

The opposing team’s coach has the right to choose any player from a team’s bench to replace an injured defensive player. An injured player may return to the game as soon as the team feels he/she is ready.

If an injured player, due to bat, has not been removed from the game and is not able to bat in the proper batting order, he/she will be recorded as an out.

All coaches and players must ask the umpire for a time out before entering or exiting the playing field. The umpire is not obliged to grant a time out.

In the discretion of the umpire, he/she is not obliged to grant a time out for anything but injuries if he/she feels the team is deliberately stalling for time when curfew is near. The umpire may allow the game to go beyond curfew time to finish the inning if he/she feels a team was stalling for time.

RESPECT FOR OFFICIALS

Conversations with officials regarding judgments, rules, or other game situations must be conducted only after calling a timeout, and must be conducted in normal speaking tones away from the players. Shouting objections across the field may result in ejection.

Any coach or player who abuses the umpire, or opponents, either verbally or physically will be ejected from the game and suspended for the next two league or playoff games. Additional suspensions may be determined by the League Executive. The umpire must notify the umpire-in-chief as soon as possible of any such infraction.

All coaches are responsible for their parents and spectators. If either abuse the umpires, or opponents, verbally, physically, or otherwise, the coach will be asked to control this person(s) or they will be ejected from the park. If the person(s) will not leave the park and continue to carry on the abuse, the umpire may forfeit the game to the opposing team. The umpire must notify the umpire-in-chief as soon as possible of any such infraction.

CONTACT RULE (OBA Rule P2-14)

Runners are instructed to slide or attempt to avoid making contact with a fielder. A player who maliciously runs into another player is to be declared out (unless he/she has scored prior to committing the infraction) and is to be automatically ejected (whether or not declared out).

Contact shall be considered malicious if:

a)       the contact is the result of intentional excessive force, and/or

b)       there is intent to injure

Malicious contact is to be penalized whether committed by an offensive or defensive player.

The umpire shall determine whether contact was avoidable or unavoidable - whether the player was trying to reach the base/plate or attempting to dislodge the ball from the fielder.

If the runner

a)       could have avoided the fielder and reached the base or

b)       attempted to dislodge the ball

the runner is out even if the fielder loses possession of the ball. The ball is dead and all other runners shall return to the last base legally occupied by them at the time of contact.

If the fielder blocks the base path, the runner may make contact, slide into or collide with the fielder as long as the runner is making a legitimate attempt to reach the base/plate. If the collision is flagrant, the runner is called out and ejected. The ball is declared dead. If the defensive player blocked the base path clearly without possession of the ball, obstruction shall be called. The runner is safe and a delayed dead ball is called. If the runner collides flagrantly, he/she shall be declared safe due to the obstruction but shall be ejected. The ball is dead.

 TIE BREAKERS

If teams are tied in the standings at the end of the season, the position in the standings will be decided by:

1) Record against the team they are tied with.

2) If still tied, a sudden death five-inning game with extra innings until a winner is declared.

3) If three or more teams are tied, standings will be decided by total runs scored in the games played among the teams that are tied.

4) If teams are still tied, standings will be decided by total runs allowed in the games played among the teams that are tied.

Baserunning (NEW 2010 Season Rules)

1)There are no leadoffs in Mosquito House League

2)The runner may only leave the base once the pitched ball has crossed the front part of the plate

3)There is no possibility of advancing to first on a dropped third strike (Play is dead).

4) Coaches are encouraged to substitute for the intended catcher of the next inning if he/she is onbase with 2 outs. The substitute runner will be the player last called out.