Rules - Senior League

The rules for the Senior league are adapted from USA Babe Ruth League rules under consideration for the special circumstances of London Baseball and play at Wormwood Scrubs. Differences from Majors Division rules are highlighted in bold.

Senior league baseball provides the highest level of competitive play in the London Baseball Association. However, the philosophy of our league carries through even into this division. Coaches should measure their success by their players’ improvement, their enthusiasm towards the game and desire to continue learning and playing. Not by reviewing the won/lost column.

1. The field will be 80 feet down the base path, and 54 feet to the mound. The area of play shall be considered to be the area comprised by the 'fair' area of the field itself plus the area to each side of the base paths to first and third limited by a line from the edge of the backstop parallel to the base path.

2. The strike zone will be from the "top of the lettering" (i.e. from about the underarm level) to the knees, based on the player's height while in a reasonable knees-bent stance

3. A normal regulation game consists of seven innings although no inning may start later than twenty-five minutes prior to the end of the scheduled playing session.

4. Four completed innings will constitute a minimum regulation game for which the results will count. If the home team is ahead after three and a half innings and the game is called, the home team shall be declared the winner. Games are scheduled to begin ½ hour after the scheduled start of the Senior league session.

5. Every effort should be made to complete all Senior league games with a winner declared, in which case extra innings may be required. If nine innings have been completed and a game is still tied, the game will be considered a "no game" for standing purposes.

6. There will be a maximum of 9 players on the field at any one time. Substitute the fielders to keep only 9 on at any one time but let fielders sitting out continue to bat. A team must have at least seven players at game time (which is 1/2 hour after the scheduled start of the Senior league session) to make the game official. A team with less than seven players will forfeit the game. If both teams have less than seven they both are assessed a tie. If a team has seven players at the start but the numbers subsequently diminish, that team will be permitted to continue playing without a forfeit being declared. If for any scheduled playing session, both Senior league games are forfeited due to a lack of players, then all games for the league shall be considered "rained-out" and any games played will be considered "friendlies" and not count in the standings.

7. No player in the Senior league may pitch more than THREE innings in a game (including any game that involves extra innings). The delivery of a single pitch constitutes pitching an inning. A pitcher who hits three batters must be removed from pitching and cannot continue to pitch again in that game.

8. Each player must play at least THREE full innings in the field , assuming a complete game (except for injury or disciplinary reasons). Players may be substituted during a game at any time the ball is dead. Re-entry is possible for ALL players at any position, even if they have been previously removed from the field.

9. Every team member must be allowed to bat in a batting order established before the game, whether or not they are currently playing in the field. Late arrivals must be added at the end of the established batting order.

10. Senior league baseball is played with real hardballs - which are hard and can hurt - so pay attention to Rule 11.

11. All players on deck, at bat, and on base, as well as all 1st and 3rd base player-coaches, MUST wear a batting or running helmet. Catchers MUST wear a mask, helmet, chest protector, leg protectors, and a cup. Managers should keep all children well back from the plate to avoid injuries. Players may only hold a bat in their hands if they are approaching or leaving home plate or in the designated on-deck circle. No metal cleats are allowed, though rubber ones are fine.

12. Bunting is permitted, and the rule applies that a foul bunt is a called third strike.

13. The infield fly rule does apply. An Infield Fly is a fair fly ball (not a line drive or a bunt) that can be caught by an infielder when first and second or first, second and third are occupied before two outs. If the hit becomes a foul ball it is treated as any foul.

14. Four balls constitute a walk, three strikes constitute an out.

14(a)The "third strike not caught" provisions of the Official Rules of Baseball as adopted by Babe Ruth apply; Batters may run if the third strike is not caught, unless first base is occupied and there are less than two outs.

15. Base advancement is subject to the following conditions:

15 (a) Leading off is allowed; runners may steal second or third base at any time when the ball is in play. Stealing home on the pitch is not allowed, and will result in the runner being called out. (Stealing home is defined as the runner advancing more than halfway down the baseline, in the opinion of the umpire, during the pitch.) The runner may advance to home on passed balls and wild pitches. Squeeze plays are permitted, but the batter must make an effort to bunt the ball.

15 (b). Any time a thrown ball (either pitched or thrown to another fielder) goes into dead territory, runners may advance one base. If, in the judgment of the umpire, a runner was more than halfway to a base at the time the ball entered the dead territory, the runner may be awarded one base in addition to the base to which the runner was advancing.

15(c). Sliding is permitted at any base and is encouraged on any close play at home plate. If a runner attempting to reach home plate intentionally and maliciously runs into a defensive player in the area of home plate, he will be called out on the play and ejected from the game . The objective of this is to penalize the offensive team for deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner for the obvious purpose of crashing the defensive player, rather than trying to reach home plate.

15 (d). The ball is “live” at all times apart from when an umpire has called time out, or until an umpire has called “play ball” when a ball is being returned from out of play.

16. The six-run inning rule does not apply.

17. The umpires shall provide several new baseballs for the game. At the end of the game, each team should retrieve some of the game balls and add it to the equipment bag as practice balls.

18. In the event of the absence or unavailability of an official league umpire, the managers should agree to an acceptable coach/ spectators umpiring arrangement.

19. The home team is responsible for keeping the official score. At the conclusion of the game, the home team should provide an score sheet, agreed by each of the managers, to the Home Plate Umpire for use in maintaining league standings. Managers should check scores after each inning to ensure that the final score will be agreed.

20. Standings will follow a traditional baseball format with wins/loses and percentage points determining position. In the event two teams are tied the first tiebreaker will be head to head competition. If three or more teams are tied the tiebreaker will be least amount of total runs allowed. The next tiebreaker will be a coin flip.

21. All teams will be eligible for the play-offs. Seedings for the playoffs will be based upon the final, regular season standings. The higher seeded team will be the home team in the first and second round. Home team for championship game will be based on a coin flip.

22. The League Director will be the final authority on any dispute.

23. Rosters are set at the beginning of the season. Any child wanting to join a team after the season has started must be referred to the League Director.

24. Rain-outs:

THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND COMFORT OF OUR PLAYERS AND UMPIRES ARE THE PRIMARY FACTORS IN DETERMINING WHEN TO CALL A GAME.

(a) Rain-outs before the start of play will be called by consensus of the LBA commissioners and posted on the LBA website.

(b) In the case that fields need to be cleared because of rain either during practice or after the games have begun then:

(1) The commissioners will agree by consensus after a maximum of 15 minutes to either:

•  Call an end of play for the day;

•  Allow for an additional 15 minutes wait because of possible improving conditions

(c) After a maximum 30 minutes of interrupted play, the games will be called.

(d) In the case of (b)(1)(i) above, if any game has completed 4 innings, that shall be called a completed game. If the home team is ahead, and batting in the bottom of the 4th when a game is called, that is also a completed game.