Our Rules - Peterborough Men's Senior Slo Pitch

1. League play shall be governed by the current official NSA rules, except as amended below.

2. A home plate mat measuring 24” x 36”, shall be used to determine balls and strikes. A legally pitched ball landing on any part of the mat is a strike.

The location of the pitcher’s box is altered so that the front of the box (the edge closest to home plate) is even with the pitcher’s rubber, making the rubber, the minimum distance the pitcher can stand from home plate. The pitcher must begin delivery in the box and have one foot in the box upon release of the ball.

3. Base lines shall be 60 feet.

4. A commitment line shall be drawn across the base line between third base and home plate, 20 feet from home plate. A base runner having crossed this line may not return to third base.

5. Prior to each game, team managers must advise the umpires which batters will be entitled to courtesy runners from first base.

6. Courtesy runners are permitted to replace players who are:

a. Affected by previous injuries

b. Injured during the current game

c. Fearful of, or incapable of running due to age, or frailty, on an ongoing basis.

It is not the intention to merely replace slow runners. Players who qualify for a courtesy runner cannot be used as a courtesy runner.

The courtesy runner, required by a batter, will be the last out. If the first batter in the game requires a courtesy runner, it will be the last eligible player in the batting order.

When a courtesy runner finds himself still on base, when his turn at bat comes, then the next appropriate last out will be substituted for him on the base, so he can take his turn at bat without being an out.

Players who qualify for a courtesy runner will not proceed beyond first base, the exceptions being:

a. A home run hit over the fence, when he will round bases and be credited with a home run.

b. The substitute runner will be awarded second base on an overthrow that goes out of play.

c. The substitute runner will be awarded second base on a ground rule double.

Once declared and reported to the umpires at the start of the game, the player will have no option to change during the game.

Players eligible for courtesy runners, must play a defensive position and take his normal turn at bat in order to participate in a game.

7. a.) Every player participating must take his regular turn in the batting order. Defensively, eleven (11) players at a time may be on the field. Five (5) players must be outfielders. All players, including pitchers, must sit out an equal number of innings whenever possible. No player may sit out consecutive innings.

“Sitting Out” Rotation:

14 players 7 sit out 2 innings

7 sit out 1 inning

13 players 12 sit out 1 inning

1 sits out 2 innings

12 players 7 sit out 1 inning

5 sit out 0 inning

11 players All must play

If for physical reasons, a player is unable to play defensively as required by the rotation, he is ineligible to play in that game(s).

7. b.) If a player leaves the game for a legitimate reason, his location in the batting order will not be recorded as an automatic out, the exception being, if the player is ejected during the game – the player will then be counted as an out for the balance of their at-bats that game. A player ejected from a game will receive an automatic 2 game suspension.

8. A player arriving late for a game cannot enter the game after three completed innings.

Offensively, he must be listed at the bottom of the line-up, prior to the start of the game. If not available for turn at bat during the first three innings, he will be declared an “out”.

Defensively, he must play in the rotation he was identified on the game sheet, at the start of the game.

In other words, the game sheet will not be altered to accommodate the player.

9. a.) A team must have nine (9) players from its roster on the field at the start of each game. A team with fewer than 9 roster players available at the start of the game must forfeit the game. Official score of the game will be recorded as 7 – 0.

b.) Player substitution: If a manager knows that he will be below 11 players, he should contact the Manager of the Wednesday ball league, for suitable replacements from that group. This policy applies to the regular season only.

10. Fitness of playing field will be determined by the Executive member checking the field. Cancellations will be announced on local radio 105.1 FM. All players will be contacted by email if we have one on file. Managers

    will be responsible for calling players without email addresses on file.

11. A strike shall be called if a legally pitched ball, whether struck or not, strikes any part of the home plate mat, without having first touched the ground.

Arc of the ball must be no less than 6 feet, and no more than 12 feet above the ground, as determined by the umpire. Any pitch outside these limits will be declared a ball, unless swung at, or hit, by the batter.

  12. No lead-offs are permitted. A base runner is out, if he fails to keep contact with the base to which he is entitled until contact has been made by the batter with a legally pitched ball.

  13. Double/Safety First Base – on any ball hit to the infield, the batter must touch the orange safety base at first base only. Otherwise, he is ruled out.

On any ball hit to outfield, the batter may touch white or orange portion in rounding first base. Once on first base, the runner must use only the white portion only.

Defensive player must use only the white portion at all times. If the defensive player uses any part of the orange, the runner is automatically ruled safe.

  14. A base runner is out at home plate if he fails to touch the runner’s home plate. (an appeal play)

  15. A ball is dead as soon as a player is injured and, in the opinion of the umpire, need immediate assistance. While the play will usually be completed, if stopped by the umpire, base runners will return to last base touched.

  16. Mercy Rule – all innings, except the last inning shall end as soon as the team at bat has scored 5 runs. Rule is waived during extra innings during playoffs.

  17. Sliding and wearing of steel cleats is forbidden.

  18. There will be no extra innings during league play in the regular season. Teams will receive two points for a win, and one point for a tie. Extra innings will be played in playoff games as required. Extra innings start with one out and the last out from the previous inning on second base.

  19. Any protest arising from the interpretation or application of a playing rule, shall be dealt with by a consultation between the umpire and the Manager or Assistant Manager of both teams. Players protesting, after fair warning by umpires, may be ejected from the game.

  20. Over thrown balls – when a ball is thrown out of play (by an infielder or outfielder) every base runner is awarded two bases from the last base occupied at the time of the throw.

  21.   To encourage maximum player participation, intentional walks by the defensive team are not permitted.

If a pitcher intentionally walks a batter, (at the discretion of the umpire), the batter will advance to second base. If the pitcher intentionally walks an additional batter, he will be immediately removed from the pitcher’s box, but will switch defensive position with another player on the field. A pitcher cannot be brought into the game from the bench. Removed pitcher will continue to play another position for the balance of the game.

  22. All plays are force plays (example: the baseman only needs to touch the base with the ball in his possession for a runner coming into a base for the runner to be out.) A runner returning to a base must be touched with the ball to be called out. A defensive player is permitted to tag a runner in between bases.   

A runner is “forced” out at home, if a fielder receives the ball and touches the mat, before the runner touches the runner’s home plate. No tagging is permitted between the commitment line and the runner’s home plate.

  23. All bats and balls will be supplied by the League and no personal bats or balls will be permitted in play.

  24. Dress Code – all players must wear League approved hats and sweaters, with the sweaters to be in full view at all times during the games.

  25. Jewellery Rule – Players are to wear no facial jewellery, no watches and no rings. Smooth wedding bands are acceptable, but it is recommended that they be covered with tape. Medic Alert bracelets/necklaces can be worn at all times.

  26. A batted ball that hits home plate and rolls into fair territory is a fair ball. The home base mat is in fair territory.

  27. A batted foul ball caught by the catcher will be an out.

  28. A foul fly shall be judged according to the relative position of the ball and foul line, including the foul pole, and not as to whether the fielder is on fair territory at the time of touching the ball.

  29. Pitching – a player may only pitch a maximum of 4 innings during a 7 inning game. Extra innings anyone can pitch.

  30. When an injured player is going to be absent for more than 2 weeks, a temporary replacement of equal or lesser rank will be assigned by the President.

  31. During playoffs, all teams play with 14 players. Teams short of this number will be assigned players by the President or Vice-President. Substitute players will be chosen from teams in the opposite pool.

  32. If a substitute player is brought up to replace a non-designated pitcher, that player cannot pitch for that team.

  33. Infield fly is a fairly batted fly ball (not a line drive) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when first and second, or when first, second and third bases are occupied with less than 2 out. The umpire shall call: “infield fly, if fair, batter is out” for the benefit of the runners. If the runners choose to advance, it is at their own risk.

  34. If a batter steps on to the field without a helmet, the umpire shall notify him that he has one strike against him.

  35. A game will be considered a regulation game after 5 full innings have been played, unless the home team is ahead after 4 and a half innings have been played. If a game is called prior to the above, then it will be replayed from the beginning.

http://www.phsoftball.ca/info/rules/NSA_rulebook_2012_PDF.pdf         Click this for the NSA 2016 Rulebook pdf

Revised April 16, 2015.