Kingston Senior Men’s Baseball League Rules
The following rules govern play in the Kingston Senior Men’s Baseball League. Otherwise, NCBL rules shall apply.
Innings
Rule 1
a) All league games shall be 7 innings, subject to the following exceptions: in the event of a tie, extra innings may be played, however, no inning during a regular season game shall start more than 2 hours after the game’s official starting time;
b) There shall be no time limit in the leagues semi-final or final playoff series;
c) The home plate umpire’s watch is the official timepiece for start and finishing times of games.
Points
Rule 2
a) The winning team is awarded 2 points for a victory, while teams finishing in a tie receive 1 point each
Rain
Rule 3
a) In the event of rain or other weather conditions which cause a halt in play, a game shall be considered official after 3 1/2 innings if the home team is leading, or 4 if the home team is behind;
b) Any game that is not completed to the Rule 3(a) will be considered cancelled and therefore will be rescheduled to the next available Rain date. This includes all natural and man-made disasters.
c) During playoffs, any game that is suspended due to rain will be picked up where it was left off, the score and situation at the time of the delay must be reported to league officials, along with batting orders for both teams.
Defaults
Rule 4
a) each team shall have at least 8 players by no later than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time, or else that game is a default by the team having the fewest players:
b) In the event that a team that starts the game with 8 players, and then losses a player through ejection, injury or for any other reason, the game shall be defaulted and the awarded to the other team involved;
c) 1. If a team starts a game with 8 players, it must end a game with at least 8 players.
a. 2. If a team starts with 9 players, it must end the game with at least 9 players: the only exception being a loss of a player due to injury. After 41/2 innings should an injured player not be able to proceed to play, that player’s spot in the batting order shall be considered to be an “out” every time it is due to bat in the batting order.
Postponements
Rule 5
a) It shall be the home plate umpires decision to call a game due to rain or any other weather condition. In any event, the home plate umpire must wait 30 minutes after the start of the delay to officially declare the game either postponed or complete if Rule 3(a) applies;
b) In the event of a game being postponed or rescheduled, it shall be the responsibility of the Chief Umpire to find the next scheduled rain date for the teams involved.
c) The home team (of the earlier of the games if there are more than 1) is responsible for calling games in advance due to field conditions or persisting weather before a game.
d) If a game is being cancelled, the league executives should be notified at least 2 hours prior to game time, so that the other teams and the umpires can be notified.
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Mercy Rule
Rule 6
a) If after 4 1/2 innings of play the home team is leading the other (5 innings, if the home team is losing) by 8 or more runs in the regular season, or 10 or more runs in the playoffs, the home plate umpire shall invoke the Mercy Rule and award the game to the team that is ahead at that point. The final score shall be the score at the time the Mercy Rule was invoked.
Ground Rules
Rule 7
a) The home team is responsible for providing 3 new game balls per home game and ensuring that the lights are turned off and the leagues equipment shed is locked after the game.
b) In the event that the field is not lined or based, it is the duty of the home team to prepare the field for play. If the equipment is left on the field after the playing of the game, the home team shall be penalized by a deduction of 4 points in the league standings. This rule shall apply to the home team that plays the last game scheduled on that day.
Game Played
Rule 8
a) Each player who is present, in uniform, physically able to play, and who is not otherwise ineligible to play shall be included in that teams batting order, subject to the provisions of Rule 11;
b) No player shall take part in game play unless wearing a team shirt and ball pants (track pants are acceptable). No shorts or cutoffs allowed. All players on the same team shall wear similar colored uniforms.
c) To have officially played a game a player must have made one plate appearance and played 3 or more innings.
Batting Order
Rule 9
a) Each team shall employ a continuous batting order in which all players bat in turn.
b) In the event that a team(s) is playing with fewer than 9 (8), the ninth position will be an automatic out.
Player Substitutions
Rule10
a) Players may be substituted freely at defensive positions throughout the game, subject to Rule 11, however the batting order may not be changed.
Pitching Substitutions
Rule 11
a) A pitcher who is removed from the game to the bench during an inning may not reenter the game as a pitcher.
Late Arrivals
Rule 12
a) No player can be inserted into a team batting order after that team has been through the batting order once; late arrival players who cannot participate in the batting order, due to the 12(a) rule, can be used for defensive reasons, including pitching, but will not count as an official game played due to Rule 8(c)
Catchers
Rule 13
a) When a catcher reaches base with 2 out, the home plate umpire shall allow the catcher to go to the bench and a substitute runner, being the previous out, shall take the catchers place on the base. This rule does not apply in the bottom of the last inning of play;
b) Rule 13(a) shall not apply in those playoff games where there is no time limit, as per Rule 1(b). c) Catchers must have both a helmet and mask (or one piece “goalie” mask) for catching or warm-ups on the field d) The catcher must allow for a path to the plate for all plays at the plate. Any blocking of the plate by a player without the ball will result in an automatic run. Any player that runs the catcher will be subject to league discipline.
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Mound Visits
Rule 14
a) A player/coach shall make no more than two trips to the mound per pitcher in an inning of play. Upon making the second trip, the player/coach must remove the pitcher from the mound. It shall be the home plate umpires discretion as to what constitutes a “trip to mound”, and the umpire shall inform both teams of this at the time that the designation is made.
Protests
Rule 15
a) All protests shall be presented to the Chief Umpire within 24 hours of the incident in question. A $100 cash fee shall accompany each protest, which is half refundable only if the protest is successful. The Chief Umpire shall make the final decision on the merits of all protests and League Supervisor appointed by the League executive. The team that has protested must submit written arguments why they believe they are right and submit these arguments to the Chief Umpire, who will then present them to the League Executive. The League Executive will render a decision within 72 hours, which will be biding with both parties. All protests will be submitted in a format in which specific mention of players and team’s names are not mentioned.
Player Ejections
Rule 16
a) If a player is ejected from a game, the home plate umpire shall report that player to the Chief Umpire. If this occurs the umpire’s game report shall be presented by the Chief Umpire to the League Supervisor. The League Executive may impose a suspension or any other punishment that is deemed proper in the circumstance and is binding.
b) In the event that a player is ejected from a game, that player shall automatically be suspended from the next league game in which the player’s involved. If the ejection occurs after four innings of play, an additional game will be added to the suspension.
c) If a player is ejected from 2 games during the season, that player shall receive an automatic two game suspension following that game in which the second ejection occurs. A $20 fine shall also be levied upon the player that must be paid prior to participating in a league game following the suspension. Until that fine is paid in full, the individual is ineligible to play. If the player does play without paying the levy, the player will be considered ineligible and face further league disciplinary action for himself and his team. The player will be permitted to make an appeal to the League Executive if he so desires to do so as per Rule 15;
d) If a player is ejected from 2 games during the season (including play offs), that player shall be placed on probation for the remainder of the season. Should a third ejection occur the player would be suspended for a minimum of 5 games. The suspension may be greater at the discretion of the League. The player shall serve the full suspension of games, including games that may be played the following season or thereafter.
e) If a player “fakes a tag” causing a runner to slide if there is no play at the base, will be automatically ejected from the game. This will not apply to feinted pick off tags.
f) The home plate umpire shall report all ejections to the Chief Umpire, who shall keep on record. In the event that a player is ejected from 3 league games during the season, the Chief Umpire shall notify the League Supervisor, and the League Executive may impose whatever suspension or other penalty it deems proper in the circumstance.
g) An investigation of every incident will take place within a timely fashion by a League Committee (a group made up of the League Executive and a team rep from each team not involved in the incident) and once completed a decision of suspension will be rendered. The League Committee will make every effort to begin the investigation immediately following the incident and conclude the investigation as soon as possible.
h) Appeal of suspensions and/ or other penalties under subsection (a), above, shall be to the League Executive whose decision shall be then binding to all those involved.
i) Any player, who throws any piece of equipment on the field, will be automatically ejected from the game. j) Any player or team official who engages in verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or language) will be ejected, and suspended for a minimum of 8 games. The League Executive may levy more games if deemed necessary.
k) REPEAT OFFENDER PROVISION: If a player has been previously suspended for the same act within the last 3 seasons, their suspension will automatically double if they are ejected again for the same offense. The League Executive may levy more games if deemed necessary.
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Fighting
Rule 17
a) Any ejection resulting from fighting by a player or between players shall result in the home plate umpire notifying the Chief Umpire of the incident. An automatic 5 game suspension will ensue. The League Executive may levy more games if deemed necessary.
b) The instigator of the fight, if one is deemed by the umpires and/or league officials, will be subject to an added 3 game suspension for these actions. The League Executive may levy more games if deemed necessary.
Abuse of Umpires
Rule 18
a) The league classifies three levels of umpire abuse; (i) non-threatening directed verbal abuse; (ii) contact with an umpire with no intent to injury OR threatening directed verbal abuse; and (iii) contact with an umpire with intent to injure. The definition of “contact” shall include not only actual contact but also the threat of contact. Verbal abuse must be directed at the umpire(s); ‘general’ comments on a play or a call is not considered verbal abuse. Example: Arguing “balls & strikes” although a potentially eject-able offense is not automatically considered verbal abuse.
b) Under any of the classification of abuse noted above, a player shall be automatically suspended depending on the abuse, for the following minimum number of games; (i) 3 games (not protest available) (ii) 5 games (iii) Season + a. The umpire involved in the incident shall provide a written report to the League Supervisor, which describes the incident, and state the number of games the player is to be suspended. Violations (ii) and (iii) may be appealed to the League Supervisor within 48 hours of receipt of the umpires report. The League Supervisor may, upon appeal by the player, change the proposed suspension, but under no circumstances will there be less than the minimum number of games as set out above.
b. The League Executive may levy more games for any incident if deemed necessary. Season + is defined as minimum 1 full season including playoffs and each incident will be subject to an individual review by the League Executive.
Team Roster
Rule 19
a) A team must be signed and have paid the League in full to be considered a legal player by June 1st, to be playoff eligible.
b) In order to be eligible for League playoffs, a player must adhere to Rule *(a) above and played in a minimum of half of all regular season games.
c) All teams must carry a minimum of 12 players on their roster.
d) All players must be 18 years of age to meet insurance requirements or be a part of the Kingston Junior Ponies or Kingston Ponies insurance umbrella.
Carded Players
Rule 20
a) A team shall have on its roster no more than three (3) Senior carded baseball players and no more than one (1) of these players can be a pitcher. Must designate the carded pitcher by June 1st
b) For purposes of subsection (a) above, a pitcher shall be defined as a player who has pitched one inning (three outs) or more of senior baseball (exhibition games excluded) in this current season. League Executive will monitor and advise team reps for the playoff.
Scores
Rule 21
a) The league statistician is responsible for reporting the game score and details of the game to the various media outlets whose numbers are provided as “League Contacts – on the website” to these rules.
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League Statistics
Rule 22
a) The coach of the home team is responsible for providing the League Statistician (if one has been appointed) with a game score sheet as soon as the game is complete and will be returned within one week;
b) When consideration is being given to the awarding of League trophies for individual performance (batting, pitching, etc.), the League executive may examine any teams score sheets in order to verify final results; c) Every team must keep all game sheets because the League may review these in the event of a problem. If a team is unable to provide game sheets, this may at the time of a protest, be used in forming a final decision; d) Following each game, the home umpire shall sign the game sheet of both teams. Should the home plate umpire not sign the score sheet, the said game sheet is declared invalid with respect to any claims for the number of games played by players or any other disagreements.
Player Injuries
Rule 23
a) If a player is injured during a League game, and only if, and miss a number of games due to that reason of being unable to play due to this injury, these games will be counted towards his total games played as per Rule 19 (b) above so as not to penalize the players eligibility for the playoffs. This amendment to the rule will be considered void if the team manager/coach or player does not contact a member of the League Executive within 72 hours of the injury. Failure to do so will not invoke the later eligibility of the player and will make that individual “illegal” for the playoffs.