Fastpitch Pitcher's Rule Proposal

[David Emerling]

Originally Posted by ukumpire

A few more points to ponder:
[LIST=1][*]One objection that I've heard several times has to do with player safety. Specifically, there are concerns about the pitcher hurting herself if her stride ends up on the rubber...

I have seen many games played on fields that have multiple pitching rubbers because the field is there to accommodate players of various ages who often have varying pitching distances. The pitching rubbers are "permanently" left on the field as a matter of convenience and expedience for the ground crews.

Invariably there is a pitching rubber at 35-feet (for the 10U league) and 40-feet (for most other leagues). Unfortunately, the older girls who pitch from the 40-foot pitching rubber have to contend with the stride foot landing on or near the 35-foot rubber. They frequently have to alter their mechanics to avoid landing on it, or worse, on it.

The pitchers hate this and it was a common complaint.

Sometimes we were successful in lobbying for the removal of the 35-foot rubber and sometimes we were not. Usually we were unsuccessful and the pitchers simply had to deal with it.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN