Here’s a guide to the game:
General
Equipment
The field
Rules
General
Tee Ball or T-Ball is a sport based on baseball and is intended as an introduction for young players to develop baseball skills and have fun.
In T-Ball, there is usually no pitcher; except perhaps for defensive purposes. The ball is placed on an adjustable tee atop the home plate at a suitable height for the batter to strike. (In some clubs, adult coaches give the batter an opportunity to try and hit a few pitched balls before going to the tee in the hope that this will further develop batting skills.) Most of the other rules are similar or identical to those of baseball, though the game is played on a smaller field.
In many organizations, score is not kept and rules are designed to maximize participation: an inning is completed once each child has had a turn at bat and all extra players of the defensive team play in the outfield every inning. (In some clubs, an inning is played similar to baseball, which is once the defensive team has made three outs, the team at bat plays defence and the defensive team takes the bat.)To encourage the defensive team to try to make plays, there are typically no extra bases on overthrows and runners may not advance after the ball is in possession of an infielder.
T-Ball allows male and female players too young to participate in baseball to enjoy a game posing many of the same challenges, and to develop skills that will later be useful in playing baseball. It has become an important part of many baseball clubs, particularly in countries where there is no strong tradition of a sporting draft and where it is therefore more important for clubs to develop junior players.
Equipment
• Bats: 25" to 26" long, 2¼" diameter, maximum weight 17 to 20 ounces
• Balls: typically appear identical to baseballs but are slightly softer to reduce injuries: 9" to 9½" around, 4 to 6 ounces weight, with a moulded core or sponge rubber centre
• Footwear: Athletic, rubber cleats
• Helmets: May require face masks and may be required for the hitter, the catcher, and the defensive pitcher.
The field
• The baselines is forty-five feet
• The pitcher's "mound” is a circle with a radius of 5', the centre of which is 35' from the point of home plate (batting tee)
• The outfield fence is between one hundred fifteen and one hundred twenty-five feet from the back point of the home plate. Championship play for 7-year-olds is 125 feet.
• The batter's box is five feet long and three feet wide. It is six inches off from home plate with two feet extending forward from the centre of the plate, and three feet extending backward from the centre of the plate.
• Home plate is a portable plate with an adjustable height tee attached on which the ball is placed to be hit by the batter.
• The bases are any youth league bases.
• The catcher's box is the distance between the outside edges of the batter's box extended six feet back of the batting tee.
• The next batter's on-deck circle is be designated as the batter coach's box.
• A foul strike arc is made from baseline to baseline in front of home plate on a ten foot radius from the back point of home plate.
Rules
• The starting line-up consists of ten players.
• Substitutions must be made at the beginning of each half-inning.
• In full six inning games, each player must play at least three full innings on defence and offense and bat at least one time. No player, starter, or substitute can be removed from the game by the manager until he has batted at least one time.
• Starting players may re-enter the game one time in the same batting order position they originally occupied.
• When a Team has entered all of its substitutes in a game and then has an injury, illness or ejection of a player, the manager of the opposing team shall appoint someone on the other teams bench not currently in the line-up to replace the player who must leave the game. That appointed player can play any position his manager wishes, but would bat in the place of the player who left the game even though he batted in another place in the order previously. The player who has been injured- or become ill, and has been substituted for, may not then re-enter the game. This applies to local league play only.
• All batters must remain inside the dugout while waiting to bat except the on-deck batter who may wait in the on-deck circle. The batter coach shall remain in the on-deck circle and shall accompany the batter to the batter's box only for the purpose of adjusting the tee and giving hitting instructions. He must then return to the on-deck circle immediately.
• Bunting is not permitted. Chopping down on the ball, even though the batter swings through the ball, shall be considered as an attempt to accomplish the same thing as a bunt.
• Base stealing is not permitted. A baserunner must be in contact with his base at the time the ball is hit by the batter.
• Once a batted ball is in a defensive player's possession, baserunners shall not pass another base.
• If the ball is struck hard enough to roll past the 10' foul circle in front of home plate, it is a fair ball. If the ball is hit so as to land in fair territory and roll back across the foul strike line, it is a foul ball. If it stops on the foul strike line, it is a fair ball.
• The batter is out if he fouls three third strikes.
• The batter is allowed to level his bat with the ball (half-swing) only one time per strike. An additional levelling or half-swing shall be called a strike. Touching the ball or accidentally bumping it off the tee as he levels his bat shall not be called a strike.
• The umpire shall present the ball and then place the ball on the batting tee when the player has declared they are ready to bat and the defensive players are positioned in the umpires’ judgment. The batter cannot then move his back foot other than picking it up and putting it down basically in line with his front foot.
• The batter shall be called out for slinging the bat and runners returned to their bases. (No warning).
• A team on defence is allowed no more than two time outs per inning. Exception - injury to a player or other emergency.
• A team on offense has three outs or ten batters, whichever comes first.
• If the tenth batter in an inning does not reach first base safely and makes the third out, no runs scoring on that play shall count.
• If the tenth batter in an inning does reach first base safely and makes the third out after passing first base, any rum scoring before the put-out shall count.
• If the tenth batter in an inning makes the first or second out, any run scoring on the play shall count.
• On defence, the pitcher must remain inside the 10' diameter circle until the ball is hit. All other players shall assume normal baseball positions. The 10th player is a roving out-fielder.
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