Warming Up

[MT 73]

In baseball the home team is not allowed to use the rubber to warm up before a game.
I wondered if it was the same in USA softball.
I guess not.

[MD Longhorn]

It is not.

But again... if you really want to understand this sport you should begin with a clean slate and not think of it in terms of how it differs from baseball. Making assumptions based on what you know of baseball will often be wrong. Different governing bodies entirely, with different priorities. Softball is MUCH faster than baseball, necessitating a very different approach by the rulesmakers.

[umpjim]

Originally Posted by MT 73

In baseball the home team is not allowed to use the rubber to warm up before a game.
I wondered if it was the same in USA softball.
I guess not.

I enforce this etiquette in baseball but it is rarely necessary. Do you have cites that enforce this other than PBUC/MLBUM.

[MT 73]

Originally Posted by umpjim

I enforce this etiquette in baseball but it is rarely necessary. Do you have cites that enforce this other than PBUC/MLBUM.

No. Those are the only sources where I have seen it.

[Manny A]

FWIW, unless it's very early, well before game time, I don't think I've ever seen a pitcher even try to go warm up from the actual circle. By the time I arrive on the field, there is nobody on the infield dirt other than the grounds crew doing the finishing touches. So it's really a non-issue.

[MT 73]

First time I ever saw this.
Since I was not 100% sure I should have ignored it.

[AtlUmpSteve]

So here's what hasn't been said, even though you only asked for a rule cite.

Most tournaments and most home/host teams do not allow the infield to be used at all pregame once it has been "dressed" and made game ready, because they do not have the staff (or choose not) to redrag and reline the infield. Even in NCAA, where they DO have the staff available, they generally only allow "lines" in the back of the infield cuts, rather than an actual "infield", then rake out or drag only those areas.

By tradition, what you stopped is generally not allowed by game administration for the reasons I have stated; but there is no "RULE" in the book, just what the game administration allows (or doesn't).

[MT 73]

Thanks.

[josephrt1]

A number of leagues and tournaments specify in their local rules that neither team can use the infield to warm-up before the game. It makes a mess of the infield and makes it hard to keep games on track when there is a tight schedule.