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*The default rule book for all Cooperstown Experience Tournaments will be the Major League Rule Book
9 bat format in which all nine position players must be in the batting lineup. 13u teams also have the option to bat more than 9. Example: if a team has 12 players on their roster, they have the ability to bat 9, 10, 11 or their entire lineup. A team in this situation could bat 9 with 3 substitutes; bat 10 with 2 substitutes; bat 11 with 1 substitute; or bat all 12 players with no substitutes. All players starting in the lineup but not in the field are extra hitters (EH) which are considered defensive starters for substitution purposes.
Batting the entire lineup: When a team chooses to bat the entire lineup, each player is considered a starter and the team has free defensive substitution for that game. Furthermore, if a player is injured or ejected during the game in which a team is batting the entire lineup, their spot in the lineup is skipped with no penalty. Once the spot in the lineup is skipped due to an injury, that player is not eligible to return to the game in any capacity.
If a player is injured and no substitute is available, that spot in the lineup will be skipped with no penalty. If an injury occurs during an at-bat and the player can’t continue the at-bat, the next batter in the lineup will take over that at-bat and assume the count. If an injury occurs while on the base paths and there no substitute available, the player that made the last recorded out will take the place of the injured player on the bases.
If a team does not bat the entire lineup and substitutes are available, we use the standard NFHS re-entry rule. Starters may be re-entered once (including the DH for 15u-18u), as long as the player occupies their original position in the batting order.
If a pitcher is removed after throwing a pitch and goes to another defensive position, they may not return as a pitcher in that game. In other words, as soon as another pitcher throws a warm-up pitch (becoming the new ‘pitcher of record’), the previous pitcher is no longer able to pitch in that game. If a team substitutes for the pitcher when on offense, but then re-enters the pitcher before going out on defense, that pitcher is still the ‘pitcher of record’ and can continue to pitch in the game.
Once a pitcher throws a warm-up pitch, they must face at least one batter. If the pitcher is hurt during their warm-up pitches, another player may come into pitch. The previous pitcher of record will not be allowed to re-enter back onto the mound after a pitcher has thrown a warm-up pitch.
*It is the responsibility of the opposing team to verify the accuracy of the other team’s lineup prior to the start of each game. Managers must bring any issues to the attention of a Cooperstown Experience Tournament Official before the game. If a lineup issue is discovered during the game, the ruling will be that the lineup is corrected at that point for the rest of the game. If it is brought to our staff’s attention after the game – there will be no penalty. There will not be a forfeit in this situation since the opposing team is responsible for verifying the other team’s lineup prior to the start of the game.
For all games – 20 runs after 4 innings or 10 runs after 5 innings.
The home team will keep the official scorebook
Teams must provide their own line-up cards. A copy should be given to opposing team each game.
Pitchers are allowed to wear a protective helmet or head gear. The helmet/head gear can’t be glossy nor have anything else on it that can be deemed distracting to the batter (umpire’s discretion). It is the umpire and tournament director’s discretion to deem whether any other equipment or clothing that the pitcher is wearing is distracting to the opposing batter. This includes but is not limited to: Batting gloves, sunglasses, long sleeves, compression sleeves, athletic tape on wrist/arm, and two-toned fielder gloves.
Players must attempt to avoid contact with other players in tag-out situations. If, in an umpire’s judgment, there is intentional contact, that umpire may call the runner out on that play. If the contact is judged as intentional and malicious, that umpire may also eject the player from the game. If a player is ejected for this reason, they may face suspension for their team’s next game with the possibility of further sanctions as well. The Tournament Director onsite will make the final ruling on a possible suspension. On force out situations, if the runner slides, they must slide directly into the base. A slide that is not directly into the base is grounds for an interference call (umpire’s judgment) and the runner could be declared out. In this instance, the batter/ runner could also be declared out if the fielder was attempting to make a play on that batter/runner. It is important to note that if the runner makes a legal slide directly into the base and contact is made with the fielder, interference will not be called. Jumping, hurdling, and leaping are all legal attempts to avoid a fielder as long as the fielder is lying on the ground. If the fielder is not laying on the ground, any jump/hurdle/leap by the baserunner over the torso of the fielder will result in the baserunner being called out. The baserunner will not be ejected unless the jump/hurdle/leap is deemed malicious
No new inning may start after the time limit elapses. The standard time limit for all age groups is 2 hours from the time of the first pitch of the game to the last out of an inning. Games can go into extra innings as long as the time limit has not expired. Pool play games can end in a tie. If the time limit is reached during an inning, that inning will be the last one of the game. If the home team is winning after the top half of that last inning, they will be declared the winner of the game and will not hit in the bottom half. If the home team is trailing and must hit in the bottom half of the last inning, the game will end at the moment the home team scores the winning run or at the moment of their third out. If the time limit is reached during the bottom half of an inning and the home team is winning at that moment, we will let the current batter complete the at-bat and then the game will end. Elimination games – depending upon the format, elimination games may have a time limit. If so, the details will be placed on the game schedule. Consolation games that are not elimination games will have a 2-hour time limit.
Our expectation is that teams will take 2 minutes in between innings. Pitchers are permitted to throw 8 warm-up pitches in their first inning of work or 5 warm-up pitches every other inning. If a catcher is still getting dressed, a coach should be ready to warm-up the pitcher.
Intentionally delaying a game to achieve a victory through the time limit is considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will not be tolerated at a Cooperstown Experience Tournament. The umpires and/or tournament officials at the game reserve the right to eject a coach or player for intentionally delaying a game and possibly declare a forfeit to that team.
We follow the NFHS rules pertaining to balks. There will be no warnings issued for 13u and older age groups. Once a balk is called, it is an immediate dead ball. The fake to third, throw to first move is allowed.
All on-deck batters must stay near their team’s dugout on the warning track with a helmet on.
In general, jewelry is not permitted during game play. Breakaway nylon necklaces are allowed (must be breakaway). Rubber bracelets that are not a distraction are also permitted. Jewelry worn for medical reasons is also allowed (in this case, it must be taped to the body). Any item that is deemed unsafe or distracting (Tournament Director’s judgment) will not be allowed. The team will receive a warning if a player wears improper jewelry during the game and any players found wearing improper jewelry after the team warning will be ejected for the remainder of the game.
Cell phones, iPad, and other electronic devices are permitted in the dugout only during the game. A coach, manager, or scorekeeper is NOT permitted to have them on the field during the game.
Teams are permitted to start and/or end a game with 7 players. Anything less than 7 available players at any time during a game will result in a forfeit for that team.
We follow Major League Baseball rules regarding mound visits. The pitcher must be removed on the second mound visit in an inning for all age groups.
It is the responsibility of the manager and/or coach of a team to stop the game at the time of the play and ask for a Cooperstown Ballpark Tournament Official if they feel that a ruling during a game is incorrect (there is a radio or tournament official at each field for this purpose). A game should never be stopped for umpire judgment calls as those cannot be protested. Our staff will do everything possible to resolve issues as they occur.
If a team chooses to forfeit a pool play game, they are not eligible for the championship round. The final score of the forfeited game will be based on the team giving up a run per inning for a complete game (e.g. for a 6 inning game the score would be 6-0; for a 7 inning game the score would be 7-0). If a team chooses to forfeit a consolation or elimination game, they face suspension in future Cooperstown Ballpark tournaments. If a team chooses to forfeit a championship game, they are not eligible for tournament awards and Cooperstown Experience will attempt to replace a forfeited team in an elimination game if possible. If a game becomes a forfeit after it has started due to a team having less than the required 7 available players, the official score of that game still follows the guidelines above no matter what the score was at the time of the forfeit.
All individuals (players, coaches, parents, and fans) are expected to cheer in a positive manner for their own team and never in a negative manner toward the opposing team. Noise makers are not permitted in the dugouts and if they are used by parents/fans, they must not cause any sort of distraction to the opposing team. Because the term “distraction” can be subjective, if an issue arises at a field involving noise makers, then Cooperstown Experience staff may mandate that they not be used during moments of game play. They would only be permitted to be used when the ball is dead or in between innings. If that stipulation is not followed, the noise makers would be prohibited all together for that team for the remainder of the tournament.
Negative behavior/bad sportsmanship at youth sporting events has become a major issue. Cooperstown Ballpark Tournaments are not immune as we still see coaches and parents that choose to act in a negative manner toward the opposing team or an umpire from time to time. Please remember that the games are for the kids, not the adults, and we expect each adult to set a positive example for the players through their words and actions. Everyone that attends a tournament is expected to act in a positive manner, no matter the outcome of a play, call by an umpire, or the game itself.