| 2009 OFFICIAL RULES
METRO NYC ASA SOFTBALL LEAGUE
SNOWFLAKE EDITION
1. DOUBTFUL WEATHER CONDITIONS: League office must be contacted 90 minutes before game time. If game hasn't been postponed, a
team must be fielded.
2. STARTING TEAM: 8 players must be fielded to avoid forfeit. Ten is normal. Automatic outs will not be charged when starting with less than
10. 9th & 10th players may be added after start of game, but at bottom of line-up and only when team is at bat. No reductions are allowed.
Penalty: an automatic out will be assessed when the reduced player's turn at bat comes up. If the home team is not ready to play at game time,
they will become the visiting team.
3. SOFTBALL: A new "F-12" Clincher must be furnished each game by each team. If a team fails to provide a new ball, other team must offer
a replacement at $10. If a new ball is still not available, best ball will be used. Team providing new ball will get to bat with new ball.
4. UMPIRE'S FEES: Must be paid before start of game. No refunds after start of game: even due to weather cancellation. If the game cannot
be started due to inclement weather, each team must pay a rainout fee equal to one half the normal umpire's fee.
5. BASES: Home team must provide a set of regulation bases. If not, and other team provides bases, that team becomes home team.
6. NO METAL SPIKES: Penalty: Player will be warned, and then ejected from game if not immediately removed.
7. SLIDING: Sliding deliberately into a fielder, rather than a base in an attempt to prevent a double play will not be permitted. Penalty: The
defensive team will be awarded a double play with both the advancing runners being declared out.
8. DEAD BALL: A dead ball shall be declared when the ball touches anything or any player in out-of-play area. A ball passing over but not
touching out-of-play area is considered to be live or in play.
9. 12 RUN RULE: If at any time after the losing team has batted five times and is 12 or more runs behind in the score, the game will be declared
over. If a game is stopped before five innings due to weather conditions, and a team is ahead by 12 or more runs, that team will be declared the
winner. Any other regular season game rained out before the fifth inning will be replayed from the point of stoppage.
10. WINNING SCORES: Must be called into the League office before 7 P.M., the day of the game.
11. TEAM STANDINGS: Will be based on (1) won-lost records, (2) head-to-head, (3) competitive strength of division (determined by overall
won-lost record). A tie game will be considered final with each team getting a point in the standings. 2 points are awarded for each win.
12. PLAYOFFS: Each round will be a best 2 of 3 game series to be played on the same day. The team with the better record will be the home
team in the 1st & 3rd games. 2 umpires may be assigned to each game. Any playoff game suspended (after start and before 7 inning conclusion
of game) because of non-playable conditions will be continued from the point of suspension at a later date.
13. ROSTERS: Limit is 20. Violations will subject the team to forfeiture of game. Protests must be made before conclusion of game. A team not
submitting a roster by the third week of the schedule will be subject to forfeit if challenged by the opposing team.
14. PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY: A pitcher must throw four complete regular season games (five for Summer Sundays) to be eligible for the playoffs.
If no one is eligible to pitch, a regular player may pitch subject to League approval.
15. SUSPENSIONS: An umpire may eject a player at any time and for any reason he feels warrants such ejection. Suspension from subsequent
games will be decided by the League commissioner and may range from one game to a life-time suspension. An ejection in the first game of a
doubleheader may cause that player to be suspended from the second game depending on discretion of umpire. .
16. PITCHING: Modified (rules for 10 man modified); No sling shot, no bending of wrist or elbow during delivery; at top of backswing the ball
cannot be outside wrist (that is, ball cannot be pointed toward third base; first base for lefties). 3 illegal pitches will cause pitcher to be removed
from mound.
17. PICKOFF PLAY: On a called ball or strike, all baserunners must return to their respective bases. If an attempted pickoff throw reaches a
base before the runner can remake contact, he will be called out.
18. DESIGNATED HITTER (D.H.): A D.H. will bat for a player in the field, who will not bat in the line-up. The D.H. can take the field at a later
point in the game, but the person he originally batted for must be removed from the game. Similarly, the fielder may bat in the D.H. spot, but then
the original D.H. will be removed from the game.
19. EXTRA PLAYER (E.P.): A team use up to three E.P.s; giving that team an option of using either an 11, 12, or 13 man line-up. An E.P. may
take the field at a later point in the game, in effect making the replaced fielder an E.P. This is not a line-up change. Once a team starts a game
with an 11, 12 or 13 man line-up it must finish the game with the same amount of batters. Additional batters cannot be added to the line-up after
the leadoff batter has batted a second time.
20. RE-ENTRIES: None permitted.
21. COURTESY RUNNERS: Two permitted per team. The runner will be the last batted out in the line-up (unless the last out is the other player
being run for). |
