Improving the Welfare of La Jolla Youth Since 1952

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Bronco Division Rules

  1. Bat the entire line up.
  2. Free substitution rule shall apply. Exception: Pitcher position cannot be freely substituted.  Once a pitcher is removed, that player is ineligible to pitch again for the duration of the game.
  3. No new inning begins 20 minutes before the start time of the following game.
  4. No extra innings in the regular season if the game is tied after 7 innings.
  5. Games which are played long enough to become an official game (per official PONY rules (Bronco 5 innings) and are tied at the suspension of play, shall be be declared a tie and each team awarded ½ point in the standings. 
  6. There is no mercy rule and no limit to how many runs can be scored by a team in an inning.
  7. No player may sit out two innings until every other player has sat out at least one inning.
  8. Each player will play at least one inning in the infield (pitcher, first, second, shortstop, third or catcher).
  9. A pitcher may not pitch more than 3 innings (including any partial innings) in the same game.  If a pitcher comes in and faces only one batter or pitches only one pitch, that is still considered an inning for that pitcher.
  10. Pitchers must follow the pitch count recommendations set forth in the Pitch Smart Guidelines established by Pony Baseball.
    Daily Maximum:  85 pitches
    Required Rest: 1-20 pitches 0 days rest
    21-35 pitches 1 day rest
    36-50 pitches 2 days rest
    51-65 pitches 3 days rest
    66+ pitches 4 days rest
    Rest is calculated as per calendar day.
    Pitchers reaching their maximum number of pitches in a day while pitching to a batter may finish pitching to that batter before being removed.
  11. A minimum of 4 pitchers must be used in each game (a pitcher must record 3 outs or face a minimum of 5 batters to qualify as a pitching appearance).
  12. No batting practice on the field before games.
  13. It is strongly encouraged with 2 outs that a pinch runner is used for the player catching the next inning.  The pinch runner is the player who made the last out.
  14. All players must be registered with the Bronco Division in La Jolla Youth Baseball. All players must be in compliance with the specified age requirements set forth by PONY Baseball.
  15. A team must field at least 8 players in uniform and able to play at the start of the game (and at any time during the game) or they forfeit the game. When playing with 8 players the ninth position in the line up is taken as an out.  However, the out cannot be taken to end an inning or the game and is carried forward to start the following inning when applicable.
  16. Teams with less than 9 players to start a game can substitute players of similar ability from other teams in the league.  Teams can only add substitutes until they have 9 players.  The opposing manager must agree to the player(s).  The substitute may only play outfield and must bat last in the order.  (Special circumstances may require the substitute to play a position other than outfield.  The opposing manager must agree.) Disputes over substitutes will be settled by the Bronco league president.
  17. In the event a player must leave the game due to illness or injury, the team must take an out the first time his position comes up in the lineup.  After that the players position is skipped in the lineup without any penalty.  If a player is ejected the team must take an out each time the missing player’s position comes up to bat. 

  18. Any player who, in the umpire's judgment, applies excessive force during the
    game shall be ejected. If an offensive player, it shall be an out and ejection from the game.
  19. All players in route to home plate must slide or avoid contact if there is
    any reasonable chance that a play will be attempted at the plate. Failure to do so
    in the umpire’s judgment, will be an out.
  20. If in the umpire’s judgment, the batter throws the bat the batter will be warned for the first offense. For any subsequent offenses, the batter will be deemed out, the ball is dead, and all runners will return to their previous bases.
  21. A player who quits, or due to injury is unable to continue the season shall be reported immediately to the League President by the manager in the form of a written report. Players on the waiting list, if any, will have priority.
  22. Any manager, coach, player, parent, or fan who yells at an umpire or otherwise engages in verbally abusive or inappropriate behavior will be immediately asked for his name and recorded in the scorekeeper's book and reported to the League President. The first occurrence will be:
    1. If player, manager or coach, that person will leave the game and will miss the next game.
    2. If parent, the umpire will request the manager to control the parent. If the parent fails to respond, the parent will be ejected from the premises. If the parent fails to leave, the game will be forfeited.
    3. The penalty for player ejection must be served in the dugout and the player must be in uniform.
    4. The manager/coach must serve their penalty by not being on the field during the game, but must be at the game.
  23. In the event a manager/coach is ejected a second time, he/she will be suspended from coaching for the remainder of the season, pending review of the League Officers and Board of Directors.
  25. The dropped third strike rule will be enforced as per MLB rules.
  26. Intentional walks will be enforced as per MLB rules.
  27. Steel cleated shoes are permitted.
  28. Head first slides to all bases and home are permitted.
  29. Each team is responsible to maintain a clean dug-out at all times. The home team will prepare the field before each game, including dragging, watering, setting up bases, and chalking. The home team of the last game of the day must dismantle the field, including removing bases, repairing the mound, watering and dragging the field, and cleaning up the dugouts. Failure to follow the above rules will result in forfeiture of practice time. 
  30. The team finishing higher in the final league standings is home team during the playoffs.  In the event of a tie in the final league standings seeding is determined by:
    1. Head to head record
    2. Least runs allowed (between tied teams)
    3. Most runs scored (between tied teams)
    4. Forfeits are considered a score of 6-0
    5. In case of a game that ended in a tie, the score is considered a 3-3 tie (3 points awarded to each team).
    6. A double forfeit will result in a 0- 0 score. (0 points awarded to each team)
The Official playing rules, with the exceptions and variations contained in this document, shall be set forth in the PONY Rule Book.