Little League Question
 

My son hit a deep line drive fly on an unfenced field and rounded all bases and was sent home where there was NO throw or contact at the plate. My son crossed the plate and was thrown out for not sliding. (It would have been his first home run).

I've been reading the rules as well as the comments posted here.

I also understand that the "spirit" of the rule is to avoid collisions at the plate.

Questions for the forum:

Should this ruling be protested? (For the win as well as to affect change in how this rule is enforced).

Should this rule be specifically amended?

Lastly, my son hit a triple in a game and was also called out for taking a primary lead, but the rule saying it was a mandatory out and no warning or teaching would be applied was administered the SAME day as the call.

I'm also proud to say that I've taught my son to abide by rulings and NEVEr argue a call. He handles himself with composure. I just feel that the rules are bring applied poorly and without any thoughtful interpretation.

What does the group think?

I moved this to its own thread. The other was 14 years old.

I have umpired leagues that have a "Must Slide" and have had coaches demand that I call a runner out for not sliding into home plate when the ball was still in centerfield.
Such stupidity does not even deserve a response.
Was this the case with your son?

This is NOT a Little League rule. What rules were you reading?

Home plate slide rule
 

For the out at home plate, the umpire enforced the rule without urging from the other team.

In the called out for taking a lead, yes the other team had 5 (Yes. 5 coaches at the backstop behaving like an officiating review committee. I almost felt bad for the umpire.

But the nullified HR was not urged on by anyone. Just the umpires call. Again, the was no inbound throw, my son didn't contact the catcher or run outside of the baseline.

How do you reccomwnd we prevent this from happening again?

I recommend that the league officials consult a lawyer about the potential for a lawsuit if a player is injured while making an unnecessary slide, and ask their insurance agent if their liability policy covers such an event.

your issue is with a local league rule rather than with a book rule for the slide at home. If the leage rule is must slide, no exceptions, then I applaud the umpire for enforcing as written (it is a bad rule and the league officers should update).

As far as a protest, LL which uses modified OBR along with every other code require a protest be filed before the next play. Leagues also have other local rules regarding protests like requiring a protest fee from the coach, usually refundable if the coach wins the protest, to discourage protesting every little thing.

As far as the being off the base when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. That is the rule. Coaches coach, umpires are bound to the rules they are given. LL baseball wrote the rule that the runner is out, that creates the teachable moment for the coach to teach. Again, if the local league procedure is for the umpire to give warnings, then so be it.

The runner is never out for leaving early in LL baseball.

Not so. The runner is not out for leaving early.

The teachable moment exists here to motivate you to read the LL baseball rulebook. You quoted most likely a softball ruling. In LL baseball the runner can not leave the base until the pitch reaches the batter and the penalty as already noted is not an out.

3 posts say the runner is not out.
I don't do baseball (only softball) so what is the penalty?

Here's a good place to start.

Hey, Blue! – What’s the Red Flag for?

The issues brought up in this thread are precisely why so many Little League organizations across the country are in turmoil. WAY too many "local" rules that were probably discussed for a grand total of 20 or 30 seconds before a bunch of parents (aka "the board) voted them in. Nobody wants to read the rule book. They just want to make it up as they go along.

A point of clarification, the OP was a response to a Little League thread that I moved and gave the title "Little League Question". The OP never specified Little League so if there's confusion on this, it's by my own doing.

Here's a softball rule that I've been unable to get our local park district consortium to change: "A batter who swings at a pitch and is hit by the ball in the hands on the swing is not considered a hit by pitch. If the ball is in fair territory, it must be played as a fair ball. If the ball is in foul territory, it is considered a foul ball."

Not only is this contrary to every rule set I ever heard of, but it gives the girl the opportunity of standing at home plate in pain while they throw her out at first. I've tried to get someone to dump this rule for years but can't even figure out who is on the rules committee. I'm guessing but don't know that this came about because some argument ensued sometime about whether the ball hit hands or bat and this is their compromise.



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