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Little League Implements New Rule to Protect Pitchers’ Arms WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Aug. 25, 2006) – Little League Baseball is changing its decades-old pitching rules, making the actual number of pitches delivered the deciding factor in determining eligibility in the baseball division, it was announced today by Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball. Starting with the 2007 season, pitchers in all divisions of Little League, from age 7 to 18, will have specific limits for each game, based on their age. The number of pitches delivered in a game will determine the amount of rest the player must have before pitching again. “Little League has a rich history of pioneering baseball safety innovations,” Mr. Keener said. “As the world’s largest organized youth sports program, Little League is proud to take a leadership position in youth sports safety.” There are about 2.3 million players in the baseball divisions of Little League worldwide. There are nearly 400,000 girls softball players, but the new regulations will not apply to softball. For all of Little League Baseball’s history, and for the history of amateur youth baseball in general, pitching regulations have used innings pitched to determine pitcher eligibility. Recently, researchers and medical professionals in the field of sports medicine have been working to determine if the actual number of pitches thrown (i.e., pitch count) is a safer way to regulate pitching in youth baseball. Most notable among those calling for pitch counts has been Dr. James R. Andrews, M.D., medical director at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Andrews is the world’s foremost authority on pitching injuries and ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, or, as it is better known, “Tommy John surgery.” The ASMI and the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee have worked closely with Little League to create the guidelines for the new regulation. “This is one of the most important injury prevention steps ever initiated in youth baseball by the leader in youth baseball,” Dr. Andrews said. “It is certain to serve as the youth sports injury prevention cornerstone and the inspiration for other youth organizations to take the initiative to get serious about injury prevention in youth sports. I am proud that out American Sports Medicine Institute and USA Baseball can play a small role in this important initiative.” Little League is the first national youth baseball organization to institute a pitch count. The Little League International Board of Directors approved the measure unanimously at its annual meeting today, two days before the Little League Baseball World Series concludes. “This is the right time to make this change,” Mr. Keener said. “We call upon all youth baseball organizations, including travel leagues, to implement their own pitch count programs in the interest of protecting young pitching arms. Our goal continues to be to educate everyone, particularly parents and coaches, on the potential injuries that can occur from throwing too many pitches.” For the past two years, Little League has conducted a Pitch Count Pilot Program to determine the feasibility of implementing a regulation limiting the number of pitches a Little Leaguer can throw in a day, and the rest required before pitching again. Fifty leagues were studied in 2005, and nearly 500 signed up for the program in 2006. “Surveys of those leagues showed the overwhelming majority were able to implement a pitch count without any problems,” Mr. Keener said. “They also found that they were able to develop other pitchers who might not have otherwise ever taken the mound. And they found that their pitchers were stronger at the end of the season, with less arm pain.” Previously, Little League pitching regulations limited pitchers (league age 12 and under) to six innings per week (Sunday through Saturday), and six innings per game. The number of innings allowed was increased for older age groups. The number of pitches allowable under the new regulation is based on the pitcher’s age. Specific rest periods are in place when a pitcher reaches a higher threshold of pitches delivered in a day. The table below gives an overview of the number of pitches that will be allowed per day for each age group during the regular season in 2007.
The rest periods required during the 2007 regular season are listed
below.
REGULATION AND RULE CHANGES FOR 2007 Changes adopted at the Aug. 25, 2006 meeting of the Little League International Board of Directors are noted in redItem 1 – All Divisions REGULATION I (c) – The League Each league shall: 9. Conduct an annual background check on all personnel that are required to complete a “Little League Volunteer Application” prior to the applicant assuming his/her duties for the current season. No local league shall permit any person to participate in any manner, whose background check reveals a conviction or guilty plea for any crime involving or against a minor. A local league may prohibit any individual from participating as a volunteer or hired worker, if the league deems the individual unfit to work with minors. A local league must conduct a nationwide search that contains the applicable government sex offender registry data. (Note: The United States Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Registry is free and available at www.nsopr.gov. Information on conducting a more thorough background check at a nominal cost can be found on the Little League website, or at http://littleleague.choicepoint.com.) If no sex offender registries exist in a province or country outside the United States the local league must conduct the more extensive of a country, province or city- wide criminal background check through the appropriate governmental agency unless prohibited by law.Failure to comply with this regulation may result in the suspension or revocation of tournament privileges and/or the local league’s charter by action of the Charter or Tournament Committee in Williamsport. If a local league becomes aware of information, by any means whatsoever, that an individual, including, but not limited to, volunteers, players and hired workers, has been convicted of or pled guilty to any crime involving or against a minor, the local league must contact the applicable government agency to confirm the accuracy of the information. Upon confirmation of a conviction for, or guilty plea to, a crime against or involving a minor, the local league shall not permit the individual to participate in any manner. Item 2 – All Divisions REGULATION II – LEAGUE BOUNDARIES (a) Each league shall determine actual boundaries of the area from WITHIN which it shall select players. Only those participants whose residence is within the boundaries of the league shall be eligible to participate. Residence, for the purposes of this regulation, 2 is defined in “Residence Eligibility Requirements” in the first section of this book (Pages 14-16). NOTE: Any player who does not reside WITHIN the league’s boundaries must have an approved waiver issued by the Charter Committee at Little League International. All waiver requests to the Charter Committee must be submitted in writing by the league president before the start of the league’s regular season or June 1 whichever occurs first. Requests must be submitted to the regional office through the district administrator. These boundaries MUST be described in detail AND shown on a map when making application for the charter. The local Little League boundaries shall be the boundaries of the Junior/Senior/Big League. Exception noted for Big League district operating in Regulation I.Item 3 – Baseball Divisions Regulation VI – Pitchers: a. Any player on a regular season team may pitch. ( NOTE: There is no limit to the number of pitchers a team may use in a game.) b. Junior, Senior, and Big League Divisions only: A pitcher remaining in the game, but moving to a different position, can return as a pitcher anytime in the remainder of the game, but only once per game. c. The manager must remove the pitcher when said pitcher reaches the limit for his/her age group as noted below, but the pitcher may remain in the game at another position: League Age 17-18 105 pitches per day 13-16 95 pitches per day 11-12 85 pitches per day 10 and under 75 pitches per day Exception: If a pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation VI (c) for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until that batter reaches base or is put out. Note 1. Intentional Walk: Before a pitch is delivered to the batter, the catcher must inform the umpire-in-chief that the defensive teamwishes to give the batter an intentional base-on-balls. The umpire-in-chief waves the batter to first base. The ball is dead. d. Pitchers league age 16 and under must adhere to the following rest requirements: • If a player pitches 61 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.• If a player pitches 41 - 60 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.• If a player pitches 21 - 40 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar days of rest must be observed.• If a player pitches 1-20 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar day of rest must be observed.Pitchers league age 17-18 must adhere to the following rest requirements: 3• If a player pitches 76 or more pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.• If a player pitches 51 - 75 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.• If a player pitches 26 - 50 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar days of rest must be observed.• If a player pitches 1-25 pitches in a day, no (0) calendar day of rest must be observed.e. Each league must designate the scorekeeper or another game official as the official pitch count recorder. f. The pitch count recorder must provide the current pitch count for any pitcher when requested by either manager or any umpire. However, the manager is responsible for knowing when his/her pitcher must be removed. g. The official pitch count recorder should inform the umpire-in-chief when a pitcher has delivered his/her maximum limit of pitches for the game, as noted in Regulation VI (c). The umpire-in-chief will inform the pitcher’s manager that the pitcher must be removed in accordance with Regulation VI (c). However, the failure by the pitch count recorder to notify the umpire-in-chief, and/or the failure of the umpire-in-chief to notify the manager, does not relieve the manager of his/her responsibility to remove a pitcher when that pitcher is no longer eligible. h. Violation of any section of this regulation can result in protest of the game in which it occurs. Protest shall be made in accordance with Playing Rule 4.19. i. A player who has attained the league age of twelve (12) is not eligible to pitch in the Minor League. j. A player may not pitch in more than one game in a day. (Exception: In the Big League Division, a player may be used as a pitcher in up to two games in a day.) NOTES: 1. The withdrawal of an ineligible pitcher after that pitcher is announced, or after a warm-up pitch is delivered, but before that player has pitched a ball to a batter, shall not be considered a violation. Little League officials are urged to take precautions to prevent protests. When a protest situation is imminent, the potential offender should be notified immediately. 2. Pitches delivered in games declared “Regulation Tie Games” or “Suspended Games” shall be charged against pitcher’s eligibility. 3. In suspended games resumed on another day, the pitchers of record at the time the game was halted may continue to pitch to the extent of their eligibility for that day, provided said pitcher has observed the required days of rest. Example 1: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes on the following Thursday. The pitcher is not eligible to pitch in the resumption of the game because he/she has not observed the required three days of rest. Example 2: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes on Saturday. The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption of the game because he/she has observed the required three days of rest. 4 Example 3: A league age 12 pitcher delivers 70 pitches in a game on Monday when the game is suspended. The game resumes two weeks later. The pitcher is eligible to pitch up to 85 more pitches in the resumption of the game, provided he/she is eligible based on his/her pitching record during the previous three days. Note: The use of this regulation negates the concept of the “calendar week” with regard to pitching eligibility. Item 4 – Softball Divisions Rule 1.09 – The softball used must meet Little League specifications and standards. The ball shall be not less than 11 – 7/8” nor more than 12-1/8” in circumference and shall weigh not less than 6-1/4 ounces nor more than 7 ounces. Minor League/Tee Ball the ball shall be not less than 10-7/8” nor more than 11-1/8” in circumference and shall weigh not less than 5-1/2 ounces nor more than 6 ounces.Item 5 – Baseball Divisions Rule 1.10 – The bat must be a baseball bat which meets Little League specifications and standards as noted in this rule. It shall be a smooth, rounded stick and made of wood or of material and color tested and proved acceptable to Little League standards. It shall not be more than thirty-three (33) inches (34 inches for Junior; 36 inches for Big and Senior League) in length, nor more than two and one-quarter (2 ¼) inches for Little League, 2 ¾ inches for Junior, and 2 ¾ for wood-2 5/8 non wood for Senior and Big League in diameter, and if wood, not less than fifteen-sixteenth (15/16) inches in diameter (7/8 inch for bats less than 30”) at its smallest part. Bats may be taped or fitted with a sleeve for a distance not exceeding sixteen (16) inches (18 inches for Junior/Senior/Big League Baseball) from the small end. Senior/Big League baseball a bat shall not weigh, numerically, more than three ounces less than the length (in inches) of the bat (e.g., a 33- inch-long bat cannot be less than 30 ounces).Note 1: …………… Note 2: …………… Note 3: Beginning with the 2009 season, non wood bats used in divisions of Little League (league age 12 years old and younger) shall be printed with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.15 or less. Senior and Big League non wood bats shall meet the BESR (Bat Exit Speed Ratio) performance standard, and such bats shall be printed with a permanent certification mark.Item 6 – All Divisions TOUNAMENT PLAYER ELIGIBILITY – Baseball and Softball Big League - Any player League Age 16, 17 or 18 (14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 – Softball),with amateur status, who has been a rostered member for one-half the regular season 5 games (special games may be counted toward this requirement) by the start of Tournament Play in their respective District, with the exception of the high school or college baseball season, on a Big League Baseball Team, or, any player League Age 16 (14, 15, and 16 – Softball), with amateur status, who has participated as an eligible player in one-half the regular season games as of June 15, with the exception of the middle school, junior high school or high school baseball season, on a Senior League Baseball Team (Junior or Senior Team – Softball).Item 7 – All Divisions 4.07 – When a manager, coach or player is ejected from a game, they shall leave the field immediately and take no further part in that game. They may not sit in the stands and may not be recalled. A manager or coach ejected from a game must not be present at the game site for the remainder of that game. Any manager, coach or player ejected from a game is suspended for his or her team’s next physically played game and may not be in attendance at the game site from which they are suspended.
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