Houseleague T-ball Rules

These are variations from the Official World T-ball Rules to be more applicable to house league play.

Regulations

1-2       The Game - T-ball is a game of baseball between two teams of twelve players, with a sufficient number of alternates under the direction of a manager and coaches played in agreement with the playing rules under the authority of an umpire or umpires on a recommended T-ball field.

It is designed to get young children interested in the game of baseball by stressing and maintaining active participation of all the players: with mandatory alternation of players at a game with the offensive team utilizing the eleven players as batters to score as many runs as possible and the defensive team using two extra outfielders to make as many outs as possible in accordance with the rules.

1-8       Field Decorum.
a) The actions of players, managers, coaches, umpires and league officials must be above reproach.
b) The use of tobacco, alcohol and non prescription drugs in any form are prohibited from the playing field, benches and dugouts.
c) Players and coaches while participating in a scheduled game are not permitted to deliberately harass or direct any discourteous remarks at the officials or any member of the opposing team.
d) Managers, coaches, or players engaging or persisting in conduct inimical to the spirit, principles and objectives of good sportsmanship in T-ball, shall receive a single warning from the umpire. If the offense or offenses continue, offender and offenders will be removed from the game.
e) Anyone removed from the game must leave the playing field and the spectator area. Failure to do so could result in forfeiture of the game.
f) Manager and coaches must remain in the dugout or coaching boxes at all times.

Definition of Terms

Changed 3-1      Playing line- is an imaginary line running from the 30 ft mark of the 1st base line to the 30 ft mark of the 3rd base line. Any ball that stops within the area will be deemed as a dead ball.

3-2       Forfeited game - a game declared ended by the umpire for violation of the rules.

3-3       A fair hit ball - is a legally batted ball that in the plate umpire's opinion will or could have firmly crossed the playing line in fair territory, even if it is fielded before crossing the line.

3-4       A dead hit ball - is a legally batted ball that; a) could not have crossed the playing line, even if fielded in front of the playing line. b) in the umpire¹s opinion the batter has made an illegal swing. But if the ball is caught in flight by the defensive team the batter is out and the ball is in play until time is called.

3-3       A strike is when - a) The ball is struck at by the batter and completely missed. b) The ball is dead hit, or fouled by the batter when he has less than two strikes.

3-6       An illegally batted ball - is when the batter hits the ball, either dead, fair or foul with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the lines of the batter¹s box.

3-7       A fielder¹s choice - When any defensive player has control of the ball in the area of play and in the judgment of the plate umpire there is no attempt to make a play on any of the base runners, TIME WILL BE CALLED, and the base runners, in the judgment of the umpires, will be held on the last base they occupied or the unoccupied base they were approaching when time was called. A player raising his hand with the ball therein, above his head will not automatically attain a call of time by the umpire.

3-8       Infield area - is the area in the judgment of the home plate umpire in which the defensive infielders would normally play in performance of their duties. It also includes the adjacent foul territories which are encompassed by the playing line being extended to the playing field boundaries.

3-9       An appeal - must be made by a player or manager before "Play" is called for the next batter or in the case of the last batter, it must be made before the last defensive player is off the playing field.

3-11     Batter's box - is an area on each side of home plate within which the batter shall have both his feet during his time at bat.

3-12      Illegal swing - when the batter does not take a full swing or chop swings downward on the ball. (This is considered bunting and is contrary to Rule 4-11)