Short Hand Rule

[NCASAUmp]

Here's a VERY simplified version of ASA's shorthanded rule. Do NOT take this as a rule citation. Please read Rule 4-1-D for a better understanding of the shorthanded rule.

You may start with 9, but you'll have to take an automatic out when the 10th spot comes up. You may not start with 8 (game will be forfeited).

If you're going to use the Extra Player (EP), you must announce it before the game starts. Once the game starts, if you don't have 11, you can't bat 11.

If you start with 10, you are required to finish with 10. If you start with 11, you are required to finish with 11.

If you started with 10, you may continue the game with 9 if a player leaves for any reason OTHER than ejection and no legal subs are available. An out is still taken when his spot is reached. You may not play with 8 under any circumstances.

If you started with 11, you may continue the game with 10 if a player leaves for any reason OTHER than ejection and no legal subs are available. An out is still taken when his spot is reached. You may not play with 9 under any circumstances.

If a player leaves the game due to an ejection, and no legal subs are available, the game is a forfeit.

It is perfectly legal for a team to walk (unintentionally or intentionally) any batter to get to an automatic out (some associations prohibit this).



Here's what one of our local leagues does, and this deviates HUGELY from ASA:
You're allowed to start a game with 8 players or 9 players. No automatic outs will be called for the "missing spots" if you started with 8 or 9. If a team doesn't have 8 players at the start of the game, or if during the game the team drops down to 7 for any reason, the game is a forfeit.

If a player leaves due to injury and no legal subs are available, he's out for the rest of the game and may not return, but his spot is just skipped (no automatic out will be called). If he leaves for any OTHER reason (ejection, picking up the kids from school, etc.), it's an automatic out every time his spot comes up in the line-up.

Does that make sense?