8th District American Legion
      Baseball League Rules   

1)   Regular season league games will be played under The 2015 Official American Legion Baseball Rules and other rules established by the District, Region, and/or Ohio Department baseball commissions.

2)   Each team will play each other team in the league a minimum of two times during the league season. Preferably, each team will schedule one home and one away game with the other teams. The first game of a double header will be designated the league game if the second game is scheduled to be less than nine innings.   Reduced travel option:  Both games of a scheduled double header may be league games, and may be seven innings.  Home team should alternate annually.

3)   A 15 run mercy rule will be utilized after five innings have been completed (or four and one—half innings if the home team is ahead), or 10 runs after seven innings have been completed (or six and one—half innings if the home team is ahead).  Note: The 15 run rule does NOT apply in seven inning league games (see Rule 2)

4)   The home team will be responsible for obtaining and paying umpires (two minimum required) for each game, Should umpires fail to show up within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time then the home team will forfeit a win to the visiting team. The grace period can be extended for umpires, fielding (9) players to start, or getting field ready for play, provided that both coaches and/or managers agree.

5)    Each league game will be considered "official" after five innings of play, (or four and one—half innings if the home team is ahead).  Should weather or darkness force an official game to be halted. then the team which is leading at the end of the last completed inning is declared the winner.  If the innings required for an official game have not been played, or if the score is tied then the game will be declared suspended. 

6)    The home team will have 72 hours to reschedule any suspended or postponed home games. Play is to be resumed with the exact situation that existed at the time of suspension.  Removed players may not re-enter.  Both the home team and the visiting team are encouraged to accommodate the scheduling difficulties of each other in these situations.  Days should be set aside in the week prior to the District Tournament to ensure that these games can be rescheduled.   The team that can’t or won’t reschedule will forfeit, they will take a loss and the other team will be given a win.   

7)   Should a suspended or postponed game not be completed by the Thursday before the start of the District tournament then the home team will forfeit a win to the visiting team unless they can prove an unwillingness by the visiting team to make-up the game. In these cases the visiting team will forfeit to the home team.

8)   A team will begin and end every game with nine players. If a team is not able to field nine players 15 minutes after the scheduled start time that team will forfeit a win to the opposing team. If anytime during the game should a team, because of player injury. ejection or removal, not have nine eligible players on the field, that team will forfeit a win to the opposing team . The 15 minutes can be extended if both teams agree. 
  
9)   After league play is completed, the team with the best winning record will be declared the league champion and will be seeded number one for District Tournament play.  (See tournament rules).

10)   The use of a designated hitter will be optional for each team in league games. The designated hitter will hit for the pitcher only. Player re-entry is not permitted.

11)   It is the responsibility of the home team coach to report the results of all games as well as league games to the official League Scorekeeper within 24 hours.

12)   If a player is ejected from a game he will not be eligible to play in the next game, if a coach and/or manager plays him the team will forfeit that game and the Head Coach, Manager as well as the player will be suspended the next game.  All facts pertaining to any ejection will be phoned or e-mailed to District Chairman with-in 24 hours.

13)  If a team forfeit’s a game;
  Penalty; They pay full cost of umpires to the home team.
	If they are home team, they pay visiting team what the
	cost of the umpires was.
If a team forfeits 2 (or more) games;
	Penalty;  That team will-not be eligible for the District 
	Tournament.  All league games played by this team will be removed from all other teams record.

		Revised 10/24/11:   Rules 1,2, & 3 changed.
		Revised 6/10/13:    Rule 1 changed    Rule 5 clarified.
	Revised 6/26/14:    Rule 5: Conflicting sentence removed. No re-entry    				clarified.
	Revised 6/26/14:    Removed All-Star game directive.