2022 Washington Youth Baseball Mustang Rules

Pre-Game Rules

1.     The home team is responsible for preparing the field for a game. Both home and visiting teams will have fields cleared of water, dragged and lined before each game. Use sponges to clean up water, do not use brooms. Please help each other.

2.     Visiting Team is responsible for the scoreboard. Please help each other.

3.     Home team will be in the 1st base dugout and Visiting team in the 3rd base dugout.

4.     Only 5 adults are allowed in the dugout: Manager, 3 Coaches, and a Scorekeeper. Penalty: 1st Offense: Warning. 2nd Offense: 1 Game Suspension

5.     Catchers must use a catcher’s mitt, cup, appropriate catcher’s gear, and a hockey-style catcher’s mask. Two-piece catcher masks are NOT allowed.

6.    Only USA Bats are legal.

7.     Bat boys are not permitted in Mustang

8.     Each team will supply their own game balls to be used by their pitchers.

9.     Field Mix and Chalk will only be used for games, not practices.

10. Any one over the age of 18 must be wearing a lanyard to be on the field at all times, this includes practice.

11.  Any base coach under the age of 18 must wear a batting helmet, you must be at least 16 yrs. old to coach

12.  Home team is responsible for paying umpires before each game. Games will not start until umpires are paid. Umpire pays are as follows Home plate $55.00 

13.  Please remind parents that parking at a ball field they are parking at there own risk, W.Y.B. is not responsible for any damage

14.  Every team will be scheduled a work day. It can be done on Saturday or Sunday morning, or through a specific request. If your team is scheduled a work day and does not show, the manager will be suspended for the next (2) games. If you or your coaches are unable to attend a work day, contact the league president for prior approval. You need at least one representative to attend.

15.  Games begin at 6:00PM on Weekdays and 11:00AM on weekends.

16.  Pre-Game warm-up: Home Team: 4:50PM-5:20PM & Away Team 5:20PM-5:50PM.

17.  Batting Cages are CLOSED to teams that are playing. Penalty: 1st Offense: Warning. 2nd Offense: 1 Game Suspension

18.  All players will play a minimum of 2 complete innings or 12 consecutive outs. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Game-Time Rules

1.     All teams will bat their entire roster. If an injured player is unable to bat for any reason, that spot will be skipped over, it is not an out. If a player is ejected and their spot comes up in the batting order, their spot will be an out.

2.     All teams must have 9 eligible players to start the game, ANYTHING LESS WILL BE A FORFEIT, but you may still play the game. The final score will be 6-0. 

3.     If a team only has 9 players and the game is in progress and an injury, illness or ejection occurs, the game will be played with (8) players, but in the spot that is vacant by the vacated player it will be an automatic out.

4.     There is a 10 run rule after 3 ½ if the home team is winning and 4 complete if the visiting team is winning.

5.     There is a 15 run rule after 2 ½ if the home team is winning and 3 complete if the visiting team is winning.

6.     Pitching rules: 2 innings maximum per game. 2 innings must be pitched by a first year Mustang player (Age 9). Maximum of 6 innings per week over 6 days (Sliding Scale). 3 innings maximum per day, with 40 hours of rest. One pitch constitutes an inning.  

Pitchers can NOT exceed 6 innings pitched over any stretch of 6 days.

It is the responsibility of each Rebels manager to notify the team manager of each player that pitched and the number of innings pitched.   

It is the responsibility of each manager to track the number of pitches thrown to ensure safety and arm health. Please reference the MLB Pitch Smart Guidelines here: https://www.mlb.com/pitch-smart/pitching-guidelines/ages-9-12

7.     A pitcher that hits 3 batters in an outing must be removed from pitching that game.

8.     There are NO Balks in Mustang

9.     There is NO Infield Fly Rule

10.  Manager is only allowed 2 trips to the mound, 2nd trip the manager must pull the pitcher, but they may play any other position.

11.  A catcher may only catch 4 innings per game. Maximum of 6 innings per day.

12.  In the event of rain or darkness the game will be complete only if you have played 3 ½ innings if the home team is winning or 4 complete innings if the visiting team winning. If you are in the middle of the 5th or 6th inning and the game is called for darkness, the game will revert back to the last complete inning to determine the winner.

13.  In the event of extra innings, only 9 innings will be played, if there is no winner after 9 innings the game will be declared a tie.

14.  Base runners will be called out for leaving the base early. Leaving early is before the ball passes home plate. There will be 1 warning in the 1st 2 weeks of the season.

15.  Stealing of all bases is permitted with the exception of home. Home may only be stolen on a wild pitch, pass ball, an overthrow back to the pitcher, or a play being made at another base.

16.  Head first sliding is allowed.

17.  There will be no swinging bunts. Once you square around to bunt, you must bunt or pull the bat back. If a player attempts a bunt and then swings, the batter will be called out.

18.  Malicious contact by a base runner, runner will be called out and ejected plus a (1) game suspension.

19.  Courtesy runner - When there are two outs in an inning and the catcher of the team at bat is on base, the manager may elect to have a runner replace the catcher on base. The substitute runner shall be the last player recorded as out in that inning.

20.  No running on a dropped strike 3.

21.  While a runner is on base and the catcher or pitcher have the ball and a base runner takes one step back toward the base that he came from, the umpire shall call time and the play is dead

Post-Game Rules

1.     All scores will be texted to David Donley at 412-638-8148.

2.     Winning team will call in the score to the Observer Reporter at 724-222-2200

3.     Teams are responsible for cleaning out dugouts after each game and practice.

4.     All makeup games will take precedence over all practices.

5.     All rainouts will be made up on the next open date, NO EXCEPTIONS

6.     All W.Y.B. Bylaws will be enforced, to see bylaws go to www.washyouthbaseball.com

7.     All other rules will follow Pony Baseball for Mustang.

Playoff Rules

1.     Pitchers are limited to 2 innings per game. There are no age requirements for pitching. You can pitch all 10 year olds, all 9 year olds, and everything in between. 

2.    Home team will be the higher seed for the Winners bracket and will be decided by a coin toss in the Losers bracket. 
3. All other Mustang rules will apply. 

IMMEDIATELY AFTER CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WE WILL MEET TO SELECT TOURNAMENT TEAMS AND MANAGERS.