Equipment
1. Only baseball size Wiffle
Ball brand balls are to be used. Only balls provided by the league are
official- no personal wiffle balls, and no intentionally scuffed balls.
a. Any player found violating this rule will be given a warning. After
the warning the next violation will result in a change of pitcher for
the violating pitcher's team.
2. There will be four (4) bases as First Base, Second Base, Third Base, and Home Plate, 45 feet apart. On T-Ball fields we will use the baselines and distances that are provided, and the outfield grass is the hit line, if none is provided.
3. There will be an object strike zone, placed 2 feet behind the tip of Home Plate and measuring 24 inches wide, and 30 inches tall. The strike zone will be 42 feet from the pitching rubber, and about 11 ½ inches off the ground.
4. Only Official Yellow Wiffle bats, Black Easton and Louisville
Slugger Plastic bats are allowed.
a. A bat may not be more than 35 inches long.
b. A bat may not be more than 3 inches wide.
c. A Yellow Wiffle bat may be taped above the handle with duct tape only, and may be no thicker than 2 inches. Other bats may not be taped.
5. A pitching speed limit of 67 miles per hour is in place for the 2010
season and beyond.
a. The speed gun will only be used to regulate this rule if a player
calls out a pitcher for violating the speed limit and then if the
pitcher disagrees. The gun will be used for the remainder of the
inning, and each pitch over 67 MPH subsequently will be ruled a
no-pitch.
6. Metal spikes are not allowed
Regulations
1. At least 6 players total (3 per team)
must be present to play a legal Wiffle Atlanta game.
2. Teams may not have more than 6 players for a given
game.
3. Teams must have exactly 3 players playing defense. That is, the
pitcher and 2 outfielders.
4. Games are 6 Innings, using extra innings if necessary, 3 outs per
team, per inning.
5. 10-run Mercy Rule will be used after 4 innings if one team is ahead
by 10 or more runs.
6. A 10-run per inning rule is enforced, except past the 4th inning by
the losing team.
7. Game Sheets will be used to record all stats, including the batting
order for that game.
8. The areas considered out of play for fields are designated by lines
10' outside of each foul line, or onto another field. Foul, fly balls
may be chased beyond 10’ lines.
Section 2:
Pitching
Pitching
1. Pitchers must
pitch from or near the rubber or any mark on the ground.
2. Any type of pitching grip is allowed.
3. No loading (i.e., putting rocks inside the ball), scuffing, or
otherwise doctoring balls.
4. Pickoffs are allowed.
5. Balks are not called.
a. The pitcher may walk/run the runner back to their base.
b. No runner may advance until the ball is thrown by the pitcher.
c. If a pitcher picks off a runner, the play is dead and runners must
return to their bases. If the pitcher misses the hitter with a throw,
then the play is live and runner may advance at will.
Walks/Strikeouts
1. A walk is 4 balls
2. A strikeout is 3 strikes
Pitching Rotation
1. Any pitcher who started and/or pitched
more than 3 innings the previous game MAY NOT PITCH AT ANY TIME during
the following game. This is to avoid teams throwing their ace pitcher
every game in fairness.
2. Relievers who threw 3 innings or less the previous game MAY start
the following game.
3. No matter how many innings a starter goes in the previous game, they
may not pitch AT ANY TIME during the following game, unless they run
out of pitchers and under extreme circumstances.
Section 3: Offense
Batting
1. No stopping potential strikes by leaning
into them or stopping them with the hand or body. Failure to abide will
result in a strike on the batter, at the pitchers discretion.
2. No bunting.
3. Throwing bats deliberately to distract fielders will result in an
automatic out.
4. Teams may bat more than 3, but may use extras as designated hitters.
5. Batting out of order results in an automatic out.
6. A player may not throw the bats or damage them, especially if they
are using another players bat!
Baserunning
1. No stealing is allowed, but a runner may
lead off a base and get a head start on a pitch at his own risk, a base
runner can run once the pitcher throws the ball (pitchers can balk).
2. Ghost runners (if they are needed) can be forced out by tagging its
destination base before the runner gets to first. (i.e., the ghost is
as fast as the batter.)
3. Tagging on flies and liners is allowed; runners who leave early can be tagged out by tagging the base they left before they get back to it.
4. Runners are allowed to "get in the way" (but not touch) of a ground
ball for distraction as long as the runner remains in the base
line. A base runner that is touched by a live ball, while not on
a base, is ruled out.
5. Runners are awarded the base they were headed to plus one base, on
an errant throw that goes past the Out of Play lines.
6. On an errant throw that stays in play, runners may advance at will.
7. If a Ghost runner is needed the team may chose which base runner he
represents.
Section 4: Fielding
Fielding
1. No more than 3 fielders (1 pitcher, 2
behind him) at one time on defense. Players may substitute freely on
defense.
2. Fielders may not go behind the fence to catch a ball.
3. If a fielder catches a fly ball and falls over the fence and retains
possession of the ball, the batter is out. However, all base runners
advance one base.
4. Fielders may hit runners with the ball to record an out.
Section 5: Game
Situations
A hit ball is a base hit if...
1. The ball goes
over the baseline without touching the ground first.
2. A ball is not deemed "in control" of the fielder when the runner
reaches first.
3. The batter reaches first base before a grounder gets to the
fielder's glove.
4. A batted ball hits a foreign object (ball, bucket, etc. but not
including an overhanging tree or base) that interferes with the balls
path. Play is deemed finished and dead- all runners advance one base.
5. A ball hit into a tree is a Home Run if it makes first contact with the tree behind the fence. (fielders call).
6. A ball that strikes a tree in fair territory is a live ball, and an automatic hit. As when a ball strikes the fence or wall on the fly, it is not an out if caught in the air.
7. If a ball gets stuck in a tree or in the fence the batter is credited with a ground rule double and base runners advance accordingly.
Ground ball rule
1. A ball is a ground ball if it hits the
ground anywhere inside the hit line, regardless if it is a high bounce
or a pop-up that drops to the ground.
2. A ground ball fielded for an out is an out of the batter runner. All
runners advance at their own free will.
A hit ball is a double play if...
1. A ball is hit to a fielder on the ground
and they are out (ball is fielded before runner reaches first) and the
runner that was formally on 1st is tagged, or a base is tagged that a
forced runner is going to.
2. A ball is hit in the air to a fielder and a runner is tagged out or
leaves the base without the ball touching the ground. Tagging the base
before the runner can get back to it is the second out.
Ground Rule Double
1. Ball bounces over the boundary, or gets stuck in a tree, in fair territory, or the fence..
Home Runs
1. Ball goes over the fence in the air, or
hits a foul pole in the air.
2. Batter legs out all four bases without a defensive error.
Dud
1. The "Dud Zone" is an area which is
approx. a 10 foot radius from the tip of homeplate.
2. Balls that die or are fielded in the "Dud Zone" are ruled as a foul
ball, and is therefore considered foul territory.
Out of Play
Any ball that goes outside the field of play or onto the adjacent field is OUT OF PLAY. If the ball crosses the out of play lines (10' to the side not adjacent to another field), the play is dead and the base runners advance to the base they were heading to plus one. A fly ball may be chased anywhere and caught for an out.
A grounder is an out if...
1. It's fielded cleanly (can be bobbled, as
long as it doesn't touch the ground) before the runner reaches first
base.
2. Any base runner is touched by the ball.
a. The runner is out and play is dead.
b. The hitter is credited with a hit and takes first base.
c. All other runners advance to the base after the one they previously
occupied.
It's a strike if...
1. It's swung at and missed.
2. It's fouled off.
3. It hits the Strike zone board
4. The batter messes with a good pitch with the hand or elbow.
(pitchers call) There is no first
warning.
5. A fouled third strike that hits the Strike zone will result in a
strikeout.
A baserunner is out if:
1. The ball touches any base runner and he's
not on a base.
2. If he’s a force out and a fielder tags the base he's headed
for.
3. He's tagged out or hit with a thrown ball. If a runner is pegged
out, the play is dead and all runners must return to the closest base
and cannot advance because of the throw.
a. If the runner has hit successfully for an automatic single, no play
is allowed to be made on the runner at first, unless he or she makes an
attempt to reach second base, as in
baseball.
4. A base runner going home may be thrown out by
throwing the ball and hitting the K zone. The runner must be more than
half way between 3rd and Home for this rule to be in effect.
Section 6: Miscellaneous
A word on Umpiring
Calls (safe/out) will be made only by
players in the game. On close plays players often ask people on the
bench or others watching if they saw the play. If the call cannot be
resolved by the players involved in the game, then a "do-over" will
occur, or the dispute may be resolved with a coin flip.
2. Balls, strikes and check swings are the pitchers call, fair or foul balls are called by the batter.
3. A check swing is defined as: the batter advances the bat in front of home plate.
4. Fair and foul balls are the hitters call.
Section 7: Scheduling
Adverse Weather Situations
1. In the event of a game being delayed due
to weather the game will be delayed no longer than 30 minutes, unless
work is being done to make the field playable at the point that 30
minutes passes.
2. In the event of a game being cancelled by weather, the games will be
in suspension until the league can work out a rescheduled date, if at
all possible.
3. No game shall be played during and/or if lightning occurs in the
general vicinity of the field.
Attendance and Rescheduling
1. Teams that show up late are allowed a
total of 25 minutes to show at the field before they forfeit the match.
a. The first game is forfeited by the short team if there are not
enough players to play after 20 minutes past the starting time (1 PM).
b. After 30 minutes past the starting time and with inadequate numbers
the short team forfeits both games to the opponent, given their
opponent has enough players to play. Every effort must be made to have
3 fielders for the short team before a forfeit is called.
2. A team may reschedule a game if there has been contact between the
two parties on the day before the games are to be played. If this is
not followed, see part 1 of the "Attendance and Rescheduling”
section.
3. Should both teams have inadequate players show and no advance
contact has been made both teams lose the game day and their records
are not
affected.
4. A team forfeits its game if it has less than 3 players, (the forfeit
may be avoided by playing with 2, however the 2 man team only gets 2
outs per inning. A 3rd player arriving late may be inserted at
the start of the next inning, the team then gets 3 outs per inning.)