Lakeland City Baseball pitch counts and rest requirements
Here is a summary of LCB's pitch count rules.
A few years ago LCB participated in a pilot pitch count program with other recreational baseball leagues around the country. The program's aim is to protect the arm health of pitchers by limiting their participation in the game at the pitcher position, and involved moving from an "innings thrown" to a "pitches thrown" system. LCB was a participant in the pilot program and it was a success for us. Eventually the pitch count program became part of the regular and post-season rules.
The pitch count rules are fairly detailed and they require some explaining.
Pitching rules fall into two categories: pitch counts and rest.
Pitch counts
The rules state that pitchers cannot exceed a certain
amount of pitches thrown per game. (The rule actually uses the
phrase "pitches per day", but because we don't play doubleheaders,
for us a day equals a game. For
clarity we'll refer to it as "per game".). How many
pitches they can throw is
based on their league age and assumes the older the player the more pitches
he/she can throw and their arm can safely withstand. Here's the chart:
| League age * | Maximum pitches per game |
| 13-15 | 95 |
| 11-12 ** | 85 |
| 9-10 | 75 |
| 7-8 | 50 |
*Remember, "league age" is how old the player is on April 30 of
each year.
** For 2011 LCB put a rule in place indicating that a player
who is league age 11 and is playing down in Minor League will have a
maximum pitch count per game of 75, equal to that of his or her 9 &
10 yr-old counterparts on the team.
Rest requirements
The rest rules are intended to complement the pitch
counts and serve to control how often a pitcher can throw.
However, not every pitcher will throw the maximum amount of pitches
allowed in a game, therefore there is a sliding scale of rest rules
based on the amount of pitches thrown. This chart applies to all
players league age 15 and younger:
| Pitches thrown in a game | Required rest |
| 66 or more | 4 calendar days |
| 51-65 | 3 calendar days |
| 36-50 | 2 calendar days |
| 21-35 | 1 calendar day |
| 1-20 | no (0) calendar days |
*"Calendar day" does not include the day of the game, either the one just played or the one upcoming. It does include Sundays. See the FAQ's below.
As you see, the more a pitcher throws, the more he/she is required to rest before pitching again.
Note 1: A pitcher who delivers 41 or more pitches in a
game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that
day.
Note 2: Any player who has played the position
of catcher 4 or more innings in a game is not eligible to pitch on
that calendar day.
These rules have one primary purpose, and that is to protect the arm health of the players, now both pitchers and catchers. There are too many instances where overuse of players' arms have led to injury, and in some cases permanent damage. Who's responsible for this? The adults who let it happen.
Who designed the pitching rules?
Many organizations involved with youth baseball, including Dixie Youth Baseball, Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth,
Little League and others, have
recognized the need to limit the amount of pitches thrown by young
athletes and have instituted limits in their rules. LCB currently
utilizes the guidelines established by Little League, Inc.
Why are these kinds of pitching rules necessary? To protect
the arm health of the players.
My child is capable of throwing more pitches than the rules
allow. Why can't he? He or she can't because we believe that eventually they could be injured from overuse.
Young arms need to be protected, and we're taking the long view.
What about pitchers who are playing up or down in a league not
normally in their age group? The pitching rules are designed
around an individual pitcher's league age and amount of pitches
thrown, therefore it doesn't matter in what age-level league they're
playing.
Who keeps the pitch counts? Officially, it's the scorekeeper.
However, the manager is ultimately responsible for knowing how many
pitches a player has thrown and when he/she must be removed.
What if the manager and scorekeeper disagree on the pitch count?
The scorekeeper keeps the official count. A manager can and should
consult the scorekeeper often to ensure they agree, but ultimately
what gets recorded in the scorebook is the official record.
Can a pitcher exceed the maximum number of pitches allowed in a
game? In limited circumstances, yes. The rules allow for an
at-bat to be completed by the pitcher even if he or she goes beyond
the limit. The pitcher can throw to that batter until he reaches
base, or is put out, or until the third out is made on a runner.
What if a game is suspended because of
rain? If it is determined that the suspended game should resume and be completed
on another day, the pitchers of record at the time the game was
halted may continue to pitch to the extent they are eligible within
the pitch count and rest rules.
Do the days of the games count when determining the calendar days'
rest? No. When the rule refers to "calendar days" it means days
between games. For example, if there is a game on Tuesday and the
next game is Friday, there are 2 calendar days between those games -
Wednesday and Thursday. By the way, Sundays count as a calendar day.
Do these rules apply to tournament play?
Regular season and LCB tournament pitching rules are now the same.
Do these rules apply to the Fall season?
Yes. The same pitch count rules apply in both the Spring and Fall
seasons.
What is "league age"? League age is
the age a player has attained on April 30 of each year. For our Fall
and Spring seasons LCB considers the player's league age the age
he/she attains the following April 30.
Can a pitcher go to catcher in the same game?
The rule states: "A pitcher who delivers 41 or more pitches in a
game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that
day." So, if the pitcher has thrown 40 pitches or fewer they can go
in as catcher, but not if they've thrown 41 or more.
Can a catcher go to pitcher in the
same game? In 2011 we implemented a rule indicating
that catchers who have played 4 or more innings at that position may
not pitch for the remainder of that calendar day. This is intended
to protect the arm of the catcher, much in the same fashion as the
rules protecting the pitchers' arms.
These rules mean a manager has to develop a lot of pitchers and
catchers, right? Yes it does.