Rookie Ball League Rules - 4-6 yr. olds

The following rules are to be used exclusively for Rookie League by DYBL

NOTE: Official baseball rules as currently in use will be the basic set of rules except where changed in the following paragraphs.

• Baselines shall be Sixty (60) feet.

• A twelve (12) foot diameter circle will be used for the pitching area with the center of the
  circle being thirty-six (36) from the back edge of home plate.

• Regulation size & weight approved baseballs will be used.

• The pitching coach must pitch standing up. The pitcher must start with one foot on the rubber when pitching to the batter.

• There will be a ten (10) foot arc in front of home plate, the ball must pass this line to be fair.

• Each team may have four (4) coaches. Pitcher coach, two base coaches, and the dugout coach.

• All teams must play a regular baseball infield. Up to six (6) players will be allowed in the infield. Infielders must stay behind the (35’) line until the ball is hit. All remaining players will be outfielders and we be no closer than the edge of the grass until ball is hit.

• With runners on base, a timeout will called by the umpire after each play comes to a natural end.

• In the Rookie League division, only approved USA BATS will be allowed. 

• Coaches: Four adults will be allowed on the playing field at one time (two base coaches, one pitching coach, one catcher coach). A fifth adult must remain in the dugout at all times to watch the players. During regular season play, a coach may be in the outfield behind all players when his/her team is on defense. He may coach the players, but he cannot interfere with the game.

  General Rules:
  1. A Maximum of 12 players will be allowed to play at one time with up to 6 outfielders allowed to play at once. Outfielders may play no closer than the edge of the grass.
  2. Run limit per inning: seven (7). Exception: if a team has scored 6 runs and bases are loaded and an over the fence HR occurs, the team may score 10 runs + the last inning when they can score ten (10). 3. A team can start with no less than (8) players, there will be no forfeit if the coach wants to play the game. However, there will be an automatic out each time the ninth player would have come to bat.
  4. Time limit: No new inning will start after 1 hour and 15 minutes. An inning starts when the last out is made in the bottom of the preceding inning. Once the last inning has begun, it will be played to its completion. A game can end if a team is mathematically eliminated by the max run per inning rule as stated in #2.

  Batting Rules: Each team will bat a continuous lineup. If a player has to be removed from a game due to illness or injury, no penalty shall be assessed & this player will be skipped in the lineup. However, once the player is skipped due to injury or illness, he shall not re-enter the game in any fashion. If a player arrives after the continuous batting order has been completed, the player shall be added to the end of the lineup. If the player arrives after the 3rd inning has begun, the player shall not participate in the game.

   

Infield fly rule does not apply.

An adult coach of the batting team will pitch for his/her team while batting. The defensive team will place a player in the designated circle at the pitcher position.

The player in the pitcher position must have one foot inside the designated 12 foot diameter circle and not any closer to the batter than even with the 36 foot line, and shall not leave the circle until the ball is hit. Center of the pitching circle is 36 feet from the back edge of the home plate. A batting helmet with a face mask must be worn by the player pitcher and catcher.

The pitchers circle will be set at 36 feet from the back of home plate with a 12 foot diameter. The adult coach pitching for his/her team may pitch anywhere within the 12 foot diameter circle while ensuring they do not cross the boundary of the circle. The pitching couch must pitch standing.

No play is dead until the player pitcher has control of the ball inside the circle or the umpire calls time out when a runner is forced to stop and return to a base under the threat of making an out or a play come to its natural end.

The pitching coach shall exit the playing field behind the runner or away from the play when the ball is hit into fair play.

Number of Pitches: 5 pitches will be allowed or 3 strikes for each batter whichever comes first. There are no walks. If a pitch hits a batter it counts as a pitch. If the batter does not hit one of the 5 pitches, the batter then gets to hit from the tee and only gets one base. On the 5th pitch; if the ball is batted foul and not caught (a foul ball or foul tip caught by the catcher is an out.) The batter shall continue batting until the batter (a) swings and misses the ball (b) is put out (c) is called out by the umpire.  (After Spring Season 2024 the rule "If the batter does not hit one of the 5 pitches, the batter then gets to hit from the tee and only gets one base." will no longer apply)

If a batted ball hits the adult pitching coach, the ball is dead; no pitch and no runners advance. If coach pitching intentionally gets in the way of a batted ball and gets hit (at the umpires discretion), the ball is declared dead, the batter is declared out and no runners may advance.

All teams will bat in the same rotation order. Players arriving late will be entered at the end of the batting order. A player that gets sick and goes back into the game will bat in the same place in the batting order as when they left the game. All players will play All defensive outs unless injured, ill or per coaches definition unable to continue.

After the first warning to a player for slinging a bat, on the second occurrence, the player will be out.

The adult pitching coach cannot coach any runner. After the first warning, on the second occurrence this coach will be removed from pitching. The removed coach can become a base coach.

No base stealing is allowed.
No intentional walks are allowed.

Players are not allowed to bunt. A Batted ball must go beyond the 10 ft. arc from home plate.

Base Running:

When a base runner is forced to stop on or return to a base under threat of making an out, the ball is dead. Base runners shall not advance to another base until the ball is batted live by being batted fair or a foul ball being caught in the air.

The ball is dead on overthrows to 1st base and/or 3rd base as long as an out attempt is being made. The runner may advance to the next base, provided he/she has already made an attempt to go to the next base. If there is an overthrow to home plate or 2nd base, the ball is still live and in play.

EXCEPTION: If a member of a defensive team caused one base runner to stop or return to a base and then makes a play on another base runner (already in route to another base when the first base runner was stopped) the ball is live and all base runners may advance with a chance of making an out.

NOTE: There are no halfway marks in Rookie Ball. If the runner has left the base before time is called or the ball is returned to the circle, that runner may advance. If the game is tied after regulation time or regulation innings, International Rules will be utilized until a winner is declared. See League Local Rules - Baseball for details.

APPEAL PLAY ADVICE FOR ALL AGE DIVISIONS: A simple procedure to teach and follow:

(1) If time is OUT: Pitcher takes position on mound, catcher takes position behind home plate, wait for home plate umpire to call or signal that time is IN, pitcher steps out pitching circle and takes or throws the ball to the player covering the base on which the appeal is to be made,* player with the ball in his possession tags (steps on) the base missed by the runner and state what you are appealing. If more than one runner crossed the base, specify the specific runner (such as "the second runner") that missed the base.

(2) If time is NOT OUT: Any player in possession of the ball takes or throws the ball to the player covering the base on which the appeal is to be made, and proceed at the corresponding point as shown by the * in the above paragraph.

(3) When time is OUT, the coach will make appeals for 4 5 & 6 year olds.