MBL Rules

Sportsmanship:

• The highest levels of sportsmanship shall be maintained at all times.

• Players should not pursue arguments with umpires or attempt to show-up umpires after any spontaneous reaction to a call.  Only managers and field captains (players taking rules, limited to two players besides manager) shall request explanations of calls, and only with significant discretion.  Umpires are not obligated to discuss calls.  

• Players, Managers, Umpires & Fans shall maintain the highest levels of decorum and respect at all times.

• Any fighting, spitting, throwing of items are an automatic ejection and suspension.

• Fans of teams that are unruly or disruptive, or that harass players, managers or umpires will be asked to be removed from the field area.  An umpire has the discretion of forfeiting a team’s game in extreme circumstances.  Managers should maintain influence over their team’s fan base. 

Rosters and Eligibility: 

• There is a 25 man maximum limit on rosters throughout the season.  Once 25 players have been rostered at any point in the season, a team will not be able to add any new players, i.e. add and subtract players to stay under 25.  The only way to open additional roster spots beyond 25 total is to place a player on injured reserve for the remainder of the season with an injury that is reported to and recorded with the league using medical documentation.  In cases of placing a player on injured reserve, a replacement player may be signed.  No more than three players may be placed on injured reserve in a given season. 

• Players must be 18 years of age prior to playing the league.

In Game Rules:

• All games in all divisions are 7 innings subject to no new innings begin after 2 hours and 20 minutes from the first pitch, exception being an extra inning game which may begin new innings until 3 hours have elapsed- no new innings after 3 hours.

  • If there is an injury requiring on field medical attention exceeding five minutes, umpires should add time to the game time limit equal to the amount of time that the player was requiring on field medical attention.

• Teams must field nine eligible players to begin a game, no exceptions. 

• Teams without nine players receive a twenty minute grace period before being a declared to have forfeited the game.

• A team causing a grace period delay is assessed an out to their lead-off hitter in their first turn at-bat if the game is played.  There is no enforcement discretion or waiving of this rule.

• Teams may finish a game with eight players due to injury or personal emergency if the leaving player has played the field or had an at bat.  If the team loses a player due to ejection to reach eight eligible players, in that case, the team forfeits for being short on players.

• If a team is playing with eight players, the emptied spot in the line-up is an automatic out when that spot in the line-up comes up to bat.

• No courtesy runners in American and National divisions.  (See Vets rules for more)
  

• A ten run rule ONLY applies to games part of a natural doubleheader in all league games.  If a team is down by ten or more runs after their at-bat in the FIFTH inning, the game is over and the team in the lead is declared winner.

• Base coaches do not need to wear helmets when in the field, although the MBL recommends it.  Base coaches must position themselves in or behind coaches box at the base they are coaching.

• Doubleheaders between the same two teams will have a twenty minute break between the first and second game, but will not start before the scheduled time unless both teams agree.  Teams split field time for warm-ups.
  

• Split doubleheaders where one team is playing twice will have a twenty minute break between games.  The team that didn’t play in the first game gets the field for warm-ups.

• Second game of a set, with different teams playing each game, will have a 30 minute break between the games, and will not start before the scheduled time, with each team getting the field an equal amount of time for warm-ups.

• Basepath Collision Rule:  When, in the baseline and within five feet of a base, there is a upright body to body collision between a runner and a fielder who is in possession of the ball or making a legitimate play to catch the ball, the umpire shall judge:

  • 1) Whether the collision by the runner was avoidable, that is, could the runner have reached the base without colliding with the defensive player and without significantly increasing the chances of injuring himself by sliding or going around the fielder, AND

  • 2) Whether the runner actually was attempting to reach the base (plate) or attempting to dislodge the ball from the fielder or keep the fielder from making a catch, such as by contact with the glove hand of the fielder.

    • If, in the umpires judgement, the runner a) could have avoided the collision and reached the base without a strong likelihood for self-injury, OR b) was attempting to dislodge the ball, the runner shall be declared out even if the fielder loses possession of the ball or does not make his catch at all. The ball shall be declared dead and all other runners shall return to the last base occupied at the time of the interference.

    • Note, the bulk of responsibility for avoiding collisions is on the base runner.  Umpires will err on the side of protecting position players with their discretion.

    • If a collision is deemed to be malicious or likely to cause injury, then in addition to being called out, the base runner is ejected and that team's bench is warned.
      

• Double Play Rule:  If a base runner stays in the throwing path of a fielder attempting to turn a double play, disrupting the double play, such as by causing the position player to hesitate because he did not want to throw a baseball at close range at another player, or throw high or wide, the double play will be granted, regardless of the outcome on the play and all other players will return to the base occupied at the start of the play.  If a baserunner runs upright straight into the path of a fielders throw or throwing path he is deemed out and the doubleplay is granted.  In such plays, base runners should either slide, duck, or leave the baseline in these plays. 
  

• Uniforms: All players should have matching jerseys, pants and socks.  Base coaches must wear tennis shoes or cleats, no sandals or similar, and either a team jersey, a t-shirt, a pullover or jacket matching team colors.  Base coaches must wear baseball pants or sweat clothes matching team colors, no shorts.

• Rule Protests: Protests regarding games must be initiated during the game in question, i.e. playing under protest, and formally lodged by email the next day.
  

Playoff Eligibility for MBL American and National Divisions:

• All players must achieve a combination of 16 at-bats and/or innings pitched to be eligible for the playoffs, as well as, appear in at least four games during the regular season to be playoff eligible.  Pitchers must have pitched in at least two games and a total of four innings during the regular season to be eligible to pitch in the playoffs.  There will be no adjustments made due to rain-outs or cancellations so managers should avoid waiting until late in the season to get players playing time for playoff eligibility.

• A player must have been on a roster and appeared in a game by June 30.  There will be no adjustments made due to rain-outs or cancellations, except in the occasion where a team's last game prior to June 30 is won by forfiet.

  • If a player qualified for the playoffs based on PAs & IPs the previous season, and is injured or out of town due to work during the early part of the current MBL season, the June 30 requirement will be waived provided the league is informed of such circumstance by email before Memorial Day of the season.  Other requirements are not waived.

• A team's regular manager is playoff eligible regardless of AB & IP if he has played at all during the season.

• MBL Management reserves the right to prohibit ringers from playing in July or the playoffs.  Ringers are defined as recent professional players or Division 1 college players clearly added only for the playoff stretch drive or playoffs.  We do encourage former professional players and Division 1 players to play in the league, however, as regular team members, not late season roster additions.

• Players who switch teams during in-season will not be allowed to play in the playoffs against the team they left.  Playoff eligiblity is based upon time with a particular team, not in the league across two or more teams, therefore if a player switches team in season, his eligibility clock resets.  As such, a player switching teams after the June 30 is not eligible for the playoffs under any circumstance.

MBL Playoffs

• The top twelve MBL American and National teams by record make the playoffs.

• Teams will be seeded by record in a bracket format with no reseeding.

  • Seeds 1 and 2 will be the division winners.

 Tie-breakers for admission to playoffs and seedings

• Head to head (two teams only).

• Record among teams tied in standings.

• Record against playoff teams seeded higher.

• Coin flip.

Bats and Equipment:

• To be consistent with national decisions in academically based, youth baseball and other amateur baseball leagues, the MBL is discontinuing allowing any BSER bats for the 2012 season and going to the BBCoR standard.  All bats must be BBCoR compliant.   

  • A player using a banned bat will be called out upon discovery of the banned bat, all base runners shall be returned to the base(s) occupied when the batter came to bat and the player's team will be warned.  A second warning will result in the ejection of the player using the illegal bat and of that team's manager.
    

Manager Game Reporting Responsibilities: 

• Managers shall provide line-up cards with all players listed who are at the game, for each other and the home-plate umpire prior to a game.  If a roster legal player shows up late to a game or was excluded from the line-up card by mistake he needs to report to the score keeper to be added to the line-up card.  He can not play until he reports.  He may report and immediately then play- for example, reporting and being subbed in simultaneously.

• Winning manager will submit an online game summary form at www.baseballmilwaukee.com by the Tuesday following the game. Failure may result in all non-reported wins being recorded as ties.

• Each team shall keep game statistics for both teams.

• Managers should preserve their scorebook for 50 years and pass the books to a suitable keeper.  If no suitable keeper is identified, managers shall bury their scorebooks in a time capsule for two hundred and fifty years and create a permanent online record with the coordinates of the scorebook, utilizing the meta code: [manager's name and year of season] MBL scorebook from a long time ago in a league far, far away, for example: James Rinelli's 2012 MBL scorebook from a long time ago in a league far, far away. 
  

Ejections & Suspensions

• A player or manager ejected from a game will receive an automatic one game suspension.

• 2 and 3 game suspensions shall be issued for an ejection if:
  

  • the player or manager excessively argues or is profane after being ejected,
    

  • is physically intimidating or makes any physical contact with another player or manager,
    

  • follows the umpires off of the field.

• 3 to 8 game suspensions shall be issued if: 
  

  • there is significant physical intimidation or physical contact with another player, manager or umpire, such as pushing.  Other player(s) may receive a suspension for instigation or being involved in the incident regardless of whether or not that player was ejected.
    

• 8 to 16 game suspensions shall be issued if:

  • If a player throws a punch or commits a similar act of violence.
    

• Lifetime Suspensions shall be issued in relation to extremely egregious situations which require public or police intervention to control.

• In addition to any suspensions a manger receives directly, a manager will receive a suspension equal to one half of the suspensions incurred by his team, excluding his own, in any game, rounded downward. For Example:
  

  • If a player is ejected and receives a one game suspension, the manager receives no additional suspension. 
    

  • If two players are ejected with each receiving one game suspensions cummulating in two games, the manager receives a one game suspension.

  • If a manager's team has cummulative suspensions of five games the manager would receive a two game suspension. 
    

Suspensions may also be issued even if a player is not ejected if the details of a situation otherwise significantly fit the above guidelines.  These guidelines are subject to the interpretation by the league's management and shall be applied with consideration to the players, fans, umpires and the league's welfare in general.

Suspension are handled by the league Commissioner, President and the Vice President of the division that player or manager is in.  Where there are conflict of interest, another league official or veteran manager will be asked to help.

Identification:

• All players must completely fill and sign a Registration form.  Team managers will package registration forms and send them to the league Gmail account.  The league will share those docs will all managers via the share function in Gmail Documents.  To see shared documents, managers must maintain a gmail account.  Please make sure all docs are legible. 
  

• Players must carry a picture ID in the case eligibility is questioned.

• If a manager wishes to challenge a player's eligibility, he should request that the head umpire ask the player to produce a picture ID. If the player can not or will not produce a picture ID, he may play, but the game is automatically being played under protest.
  

Veteran's Division Additional Rules:

Rosters & Eligibility

• This is an age 28 and older division.  Players ought to be age 28 by June 30 to be considered a 28 year old for purposes of eligibility for that year's season.
  

• In 2012 MBL Vets Division allows each team to carry up to five players who are ages 26 or 27, by June 30 of that year's seson, to facilitate teams being able to stay together when switching leagues or divisions, and to allow friends and siblings to play together.  The number of underage players allowed will reduce each season.  In 2013 the limit will be three players ages 26 or 27.  In 2014 the limit will be one player aged 27, with 26 year olds no longer eligible.  From 2015 and forward, all players must be 28 years of age or older. 
  

  • Other exceptions from 2012-2014 will only be made for players who have already played in 2011 or prior and have a history of being with a particular club.
    

• All players in the division must submit a legible photo ID scan via email to their manager who will forward it to the league with their registration form.
  

Veterans Division Game Rule Additions

• Teams may begin with either a nine or ten man line-up.  If the nine man line-up is elected it must remain a nine man line-up.  If the ten man line-up is elected, the team may drop down to nine players, however, the vacated spot in the line-up is an out each time it comes up.  Teams that elect a ten man line-up may have the Extra Hitter (EH on the line-up card) freely substitute into and out of the field during the game for one or various players.  Designated Hitters (DH) only allowed for pitchers.

• Courtesy runners are allowed for the pitcher and catcher with two outs in an inning.  The substitute runner must be the most recent batter to have been recorded out.

Playoff Eligiblity

• Players must achieve a combination of 20 at-bats and/or innings pitched to be eligible for the playoffs, as well as have appeared in at least five games.  Pitchers must have pitched in at least two games in the regular season to be eligible to pitch in the playoffs.  There will be no adjustments made due to rain-outs or cancellations so managers should avoid waiting until late in the season to get players playing time for playoff eligibility.

• A player must have been on a roster and appeared in a game by June 30.  There will be no adjustments made due to rain-outs or cancellations, except in the occasion where a team's last game prior to June 30 is won by forfiet.

  • If a player qualified for the playoffs based on PAs & IPs the previous season, and is injured or out of town due to work during the early part of the current MBL season, the June 30 requirement will be waived provided the league is informed by email of such circumstance before Memorial Day of the season.  Other requirements are not waived.

• A team's regular manager is playoff eligible regardless of AB & IP if he has at all played during the season.

• Players who play in the MBL playoffs may only play in the MBL Vets playoffs if they have more playing time in the Vets division or a combination of 40 PA/IP in the Vets Division.

• Players who pitch in other leagues or the MBL may only pitch in the Vets Division playoffs if they have pitched at least 10 innings in the Vets division during the regular season or pitched more in the Vets division than with their other team(s).
  

• MBL Management reserves the right to prohibit ringers from playing late in the season or in the playoffs.  Ringers are defined as recent professional players or Division 1 college players clearly added only for the playoff stretch drive or playoffs.  We do encourage former professional players and Division 1 players to play in the league, however, as regular team members, not late season roster additions.

• Players who switch teams during the season will not be allowed to play in the playoffs against the team they left.  Playoff eligiblity is based upon time with a particular team, not in the league across two or more teams, therefore if a player switches team in season, his eligibility clock resets.  As such, a player switching teams after the June 30 is not eligible for the playoffs under any circumstance.

Playoffs

• All teams will make the playoffs. 

• Teams will be seeded by record in a bracket format and there will be no reseeding.