2021 PHYBS Majors Baseball Rules (Download)
SUMMARY OF SUPPLEMENTAL RULES FOR MAJORS
Basis of Rules: The IHSA Rules, with the exceptions and variation contained in the following Supplemental
Rules, shall govern the playing rules of the PHYBS Majors Division.
Playing Time: No Player shall sit out 2 innings before all players have sat out one inning. No player shall sit out
3 innings before all players have sat out 2 innings. This rule includes any extra innings games. Penalty:
Forfeiture.

Playoff Eligibility: Players must participate in at least 75% of the regular season games to be playoff eligible.
Exception requests must be submitted in advance of the playoffs to the Majors Division Player Agent and VP
of Baseball for consideration. Illness, covid and other non-voluntary absences may be considered as
acceptable reasons to exceed the number of allowed absences to maintain playoff eligibility.
Conduct: Team Managers, coaches and players must remain in the dugout or in the designated coach's box.
No person connected with the team may coach a pitcher or batter from behind the backstop. The area is
described as an area within 20 feet of the backstop structure. If, after appropriate warning by the Umpire, any
person who repeats the violation will result in one batter out call and will continue until those persons remove
themselves from the area.
Field: Bases and Pitcher's Mound Distances: The following shall be observed
Pitcher's Mound distances shall be measured from the front of the pitcher's plate to the back corner of home
plate.
Level Bases Pitcher's
Mound
Majors 70' 48'
Field Preparation - The Home Team shall be responsible for setting up the bases and lining the field prior to the
game and setting up/operating the scoreboard. The Visitors Team shall be responsible for taking down the field
at the end of the game, removing trash, raking the field as necessary and turning the lights off, and taking down
the scoreboard.
Teams: Each team shall field a minimum of 8 players to begin a game within 15 minutes of the designated
starting time. If a team with the minimum number of players refuses to either take the field as home team or
send a batter to the plate within 15 minutes, the umpire shall declare a forfeit, unless there are special
circumstances which preclude such a declaration.
Starting the Game: Each team shall be allowed 20 minutes of infield practice beginning 50 minutes before
game time if time allows before the first game of the day. The team not practicing shall have its players and
coaches either in the dugout or practicing in the outfield or off to the side of the field. Note the VISITING team
shall be allowed to take the field first followed by the HOME team. When time does not allow or if the game
played is not the first game of the day, time shall be split evenly with the VISITING team taking the infield field
first followed by the HOME team.
Game Length and Time Limits:
Level Innings Official Game No inning to begin after
Majors 7 4 (*3-1/2) 2 hrs. (coaches must
agree on which inning
will be the final
unlimited run inning at
1 hour and 45 minutes
into game if game will
not be played to
completion within time
limit)
Playoff games will be played to completion with no time limits.
Weather: Games shall be suspended if the Thor Guard siren is activated or if lightening is seen. Play can be
resumed once the Thor Guard all clear sirens go off which includes 3 consecutive alerts. In the event that
lightening is seen but the Thor Guard does not go off, play may not resume until 30 minutes has passed since
lightening was seen.
Mercy Rule: There is no mercy rule in the Majors division. Regular season: runs will be capped at 4 runs per
inning up until the final inning of the game which will be unlimited runs. Playoffs: runs will be capped at 4
runs per inning up until the final two innings which will both be unlimited runs.
Bat Rules:
Level Max
Length(in)
Max
Diameter (in)
Max
Drop
Majors 33 2-3/4 -12
Pitching Limits: pitchers will be limited to 14 total innings pitched during the regular season and 3 total innings
during the playoffs. 2 innings max per pitcher each game in both regular season and playoffs. One thrown
pitch in an inning counts as an inning pitched.
• No return: A pitcher removed as pitcher shall not be permitted to reenter as pitcher.
• A pitcher who hits two batters in one inning or three batters in a game shall be removed from the
pitching position for the remainder of the game.
• Pitching logs must be submitted to the coach’s text group at the completion of each game by the
winning coach and confirmed in the same text chain by the losing coach. Pitch counts will then be
logged and tracked by a designated volunteer.
Pitching Warm-Ups: Pitchers warming up during the game should warm up outside the field of play and not
inside the fences in foul territory.
Pitching: Pitchers will get one balk warning each.
Batting:
• The batting lineup shall be a continuous order. In the event a player arrives late, they shall be added to
the bottom of the order.
• In the event a batter is injured during an at bat, the batter who made the previous out shall finish the
at bat with the current count. If there are no outs, it shall be the last player who scored in the current
inning. If neither apply, the Umpire shall make the determination of who should bat.
• If a batter leaves the game, all following batters shall move up in the order. No out will be charged for
the player that left.
• Players will be given one warning for a thrown bat while batting. The second offense in a game for the
player is an automatic out. The third offense is an ejection. Umpire discretion is to be used.
• On desk batters are to warm up in the designated batting cage in their dugout. Batters are not to warm
up on the field of play.
Running:
• Pinch runner should be used for catchers that are on base with 2 outs if they are catching the next
inning.
• No pinch runners for catchers with 0 or 1 outs.
• No pinch runners for pitchers.
• Sliding: runners must slide to attempt to avoid contact with a fielder who has possession of the ball. If
the fielder does not possess the ball and there is contact, obstruction may be called and enforced.
• While a player needs to slide to avoid contact, failure to slide does not constitute an automatic out if
the runner otherwise avoids contact (turning away from the play)
• The fielder does not have possession of the ball. Possession is defined as having secure control of the
ball.
• Head first slides are not permitted at any base. If a runner does Head Slide he will be called out.
However, at the Major and Pony levels, a runner may slide head first back to a base if a play is made on
the runner.
• All slides must be legal and directly to the base.
• Stealing: Permitted. However, there is no stealing of any base IF the leading team attains a 8 or more
run lead.