Rules & Regulations


  1. Title:



KWL Rules and Regulations


1. Title................................................................................................................................. 1


2. Objective......................................................................................................................... 1


3. Details of Procedures...................................................................................................... 1


4. Version Change History.................................................................................................. 8


 




  1. Objective:



To establish easy to follow rules to increase the consistency and fun of Kalamazoo Wiffle League gameplay.


 



  1. Details of Procedures:

    1. Season Regulations

      1. GAME TOTAL: Competitive teams will be play 20 games in the regular season. Social teams will play 24 games in the regular season. 

      2. ROSTERS: A player will officially be added to a team roster after they have paid their league dues.   A minimum of 3 players are required for a team roster.  The maximum of roster size per team is capped at 8 players. A substitute or temporary player may try out the League until week 6 at which point rosters are finalized for the remainder of the season. Temporary players may play no more than 4 league games per season.  A player must play in 8 games by the end of the regular season to be eligible to play in the post-season. Exceptions can be made by a League Officer and will be addressed individually.

      3. LEAGUE DUES: Dues are $65 per player. If paid after May 1st a late fee of $15 will be assessed.






 



  1. SPRING TRAINING: Spring Training will be available starting several weeks before the regular season. League Officials will coordinate these games with team captains.

  2. Post Season Play:

    1. See PLAYOFF APPENDIX 





  1. Playing Equipment

    1. BALL: Only baseball sized Wiffle ball brand balls will be used (8 slots on one side).

    2. BASES: All Bases will be approximately 45’ apart.

    3. STRIKE BOARD: The strike zone will consist of a board that measures 20” wide by 30” tall. The strike zone will be 12” off the ground, and located 48’ from the pitching rubber.

    4. BAT: Only "classic Yellow" Wiffle bats are to be used. Bats cannot be taped at the barrel, but can be taped on the handle for grips. No filling bats with foam; they must be standard hollow plastic.

      1. Bats cannot be tapped any higher than the molded grip on the Wiffle bat.

      2. The bottom hole of the bat must be unobstructed and remain uncovered. No exceptions.



    5. GLOVES: Baseball gloves are NOT allowed, but batting gloves may be used while batting only. If you choose to wear batting gloves you will be ridiculed.

    6. FOOTWEAR: No metal spikes are allowed. Plastic cleats or turf cleats are permitted. No bare feet allowed. 

    7. UNIFORMS:   Matching team uniforms are required.   The minimum required consistency for uniforms is shirts of matching color. Basic matching team’s shirts will be provided by the League at the start of the season.

    8. FIELDS: Field setup is uniform for each game.

      1. Bases are set 45’ apart.

      2. Commitment lines are set half way between bases, excluding from home to first base.

      3. The front of the pitching rubber is 46’ from the apex of home plate.

      4. The strike board is 2’ behind the apex of home plate.

      5. Fair / Foul (Foul Arc) minimum distance set at 20’ based on measuring from apex of home plate down the first and third baselines and drawing a straight line between those points.






 



  1. Team and Game Regulations

    1. TEAM PLAYER REQUIREMENTS: Minimum of 3 players per team to play a regulation game. The maximum number of players per team is 8. See section 3.1.2.

      1. COMPETITIVE DRAFT: Competitive division teams may draft 1 player per week from a Social division team.

        1. Social players may only play 6 games in the Competitive division per season.

        2. Option to draft ends after week 8.

        3. Option to draft is not available for playoffs.

        4. Drafted players must be a rostered Social division player





    2. AGE REQUIREMENT: All players MUST be at least 18 years of age.

      1. Exceptions made by League officials.



    3. FIELDING: Teams are required to have 3 fielders; two fielders and one pitcher.

    4. Ladies’ FIELDING: Teams consisting of all women are permitted to have 3 outfielders and 1 pitcher.

    5. GAME LENGTH: Games are 6 Innings, using extra innings if necessary, 3 outs per team. 

      1. Mercy Rule Adjustment. 10 runs after 4 complete innings. If home team is up by 10, they would not bat their bottom half of their inning (including the 4th). The innings must be completed, but the losing team will not get any additional at bats beyond a normal complete inning. (i.e. if a home team scores 10 runs in the bottom of the 5th, the visiting team would not get another at bat. If the visiting team scored 10 in the top of the 5th, the home team would get their at bats).



    6. RAIN OUTS: Games become official after the 4th inning. Any rained out game will be rescheduled by the League but may be made up prior to that date at the discretion of the two affected teams. If a team cannot play on the rescheduled date that game will be considered a forfeit.

      1. Games cancelled before the midpoint of the season must be made up no later than the all-star break.

      2. Games cancelled after the midpoint of the season must be made up no later than the break prior to the post season.



    7. DARKNESS: No inning may start later than 15 minutes prior to sunset.  Any games called for darkness after the 4th inning will be considered complete. Any game not played due to darkness will be rescheduled by the League Office but may be made up prior to the scheduled date at the discretion of the two affected teams. If a team cannot play on the rescheduled date that game will be considered a forfeit. Make up games can be rescheduled for future dates.

    8. STATISTICS: Game Sheets will be used to record all statistics, including the batting order for that game. If a team bats out of order, an out would be received for every batter that batted out of order. It is the team’s responsibility to keep track of the order, not the stat keeper or opposing team. Stats sheets must be submitted to the League within 48 hours of game completion.

    9. FORFEITS: If a team forfeits before the game has begun the game will be scored as 9 – 0. If a team forfeits after a game has begun all stats to that point will count.

      1.  If the teams are tied, the forfeiting team will be deemed to lose by 1 run.

      2. The pitcher of the forfeiting team will be given a minimum 6 innings pitched or actual innings if pitched past 6.



    10. TEAM TARDINESS: All regular season games will start at 6:15. If a team does not have enough players to field a team 15 minutes past the scheduled start time of the game, the team that is waiting gets to choose field advantage for both games. 

      1. If a team does not have enough players to field a team by 25 minutes past the scheduled start time, the waiting team can call for a forfeit of the game.  If the waiting team allows, the shorthanded team can find a fill in substitute for the game and not forfeit their games. 

      2. If both teams do not have a team to field within 30 minutes of the start of the first game the game will be rescheduled by the League Office, both teams need to try to figure another time to reschedule the game.

      3. If one team needs to reschedule a game, and the game does not get played before the end of the season. Then the team that requested the reschedule will forfeit those games.

      4. If a player shows up to a game late, it is the opposing team’s decision to allow them to join in the current game or make them wait until the next game.



    11. INJURED OR LEAVING PLAYERS: If a player starts the game, they must finish the game, or they are considered an automatic out when they are due up.  If the team has a substitute, they can sub him/her into the game in place of the leaving or injured player. Exceptions can be made if agreed upon by both captains.




 



  1. Pitching

    1. SPEED LIMITS: There is no pitching speed limit.

    2. GRIPS AND THROW: Any type of throw, overhand or underhand is allowed. Any type of grip is allowed, but no deforming or altering the ball. No “loading” the ball with rocks, dirt or other debris.

    3. BALKS: Balks are legal. Pitchers must have their foot in contact with the pitching rubber before they release the ball.

    4. Lady’s PITCHING: KWL Ladies must pitch from the carpeted pitching mound, but they do not have to pitch from the rubber.

    5. ROTATION: A pitcher may only pitch 6 innings per 2 games of a weekly series.

      1. A Starting pitcher may pitch the entire game he or she has started, including all extra innings.

      2. A Starting Pitcher must pitch the first 4 innings of the game (3 innings if the mercy rule is applied) to earn the "win" for their personal stat totals.

      3. Pitchers may only pitch a total of 6 innings per 2 games of a weekly series, except for the rule to follow. If a pitcher is pitching while a game goes into Extra Innings, he or she may stay in the game for the entire extra inning period. These innings will not count towards the pitcher’s total for 6 innings of the weekly series. Only regulation innings would count. If a new pitcher is brought in during extra innings, these innings would count against their total.

      4. If a game goes into extra innings, the current pitcher may continue to pitch the extra innings regardless of the pitcher’s weekly inning total. Pitchers that have already depleted there inning allowance may not pitch regardless of the extra innings.

      5. Once a pitcher has been removed, they may not be pitch again in that game.

      6. A pitcher may not start both games of a weekly series.

      7. MAKE UP GAME ROTATION:   If a makeup game is necessary the pitching rotation will continue based on the last game played.



    6. SEASON INNING LIMIT:   Pitchers may only pitch 48 innings per regular season.  This will include all innings of a regulation game (i.e. regular and extra innings).

    7. PITCHER BALL IN HAND: Pitchers may have ONE ball in hand, which is the one he/she is pitching. Offensive team may call this violation if the pitcher has more than one ball, and, if called, is an automatic ball.  If the play results in favor of the offense (i.e., base hit or HR), the offensive team does not need to call the violation out. The pitcher or defensive team may NOT overrule a hit or other favorable offensive result by invoking the "ball in hand" rule.  It's purely the offense's call. Balls in a pitcher's pocket or clothing do not count as "in-hand". 

    8. BALLS IN PLAY: It is the pitcher's (defense's) responsibility to make sure the field of play is clear of extra balls. A batted ball that hits any ball or ball bucket in the field of play (fair territory) results in an automatic single.  It is a dead ball, and all runners advance one base. On a bucket kick play will continue unless the live ball cannot be determined or the live ball strikes a bucketed ball.  If this occurs, play stops and all runners advance one base.

    9. SOCIAL DIVISION PITCHING (LOB RULE): If a pitcher walks a batter on a 5-0 count, that batter walks as normal, and the pitches to the subsequent batter will be performed by a player from the batter's team. The new pitcher may throw from anywhere on pitcher’s circle and will only pitch to the subsequent batter.  The original pitcher remains on the field as an extra defensive player. If the new pitcher touches a batted ball or interferes with the play, the batter is out and all base runners return to their previous bases. If the batter receives 5 balls from the new pitcher, the batter is out. 

      1. This rule is in effect for any regular season game where at least one Social team is playing.






 



  1. Offense - General

    1. Bunting is not allowed.

    2. Any interference with fielders making plays is an automatic out.

    3. Stopping potential strikes by leaning into them intentionally or stopping them with the elbow or hand is prohibited.  The pitcher is entitled to make the call. First offense is a warning; second offense would result in called strike. Any offense after that will be called automatic strikeout.

    4. All forward moving hits in fair territory are playable. If there is a dead spot in the field (e.g. mud hole in front of the plate) the two captain’s must agree on a dead ball call prior to the start of the game.

    5. LINEUP: Teams maybe bat a minimum of 3 players.  There is no maximum number of players allowed to bat.

    6. SWITCH HITTING: All though not required, Switch hitting versus the lower winning percentage teams is encouraged!

    7. FOUL BALLS: Foul balls are any balls that go into foul territory and do not return to fair territory prior to reaching the 1st or 3rd base.  If a ball comes from a foul territory into fair territory before the 1st or 3rd base the ball will then be deemed a Fair Ball and playable. Any ball landing in fair territory and then bouncing foul after the 1st and 3rd base are fair balls. If a ball hits the base, it is a fair ball.

      1. Any batted ball that hits a tree, backstop, or other foreign outside object is considered a “dead” foul ball. Meaning no play can be made on the ball.

      2. If a batter hits a ball off his body arm/wrist on a swing, the ball would be playable if fair or a foul ball if in foul territory.

      3. Any batted ball must pass a minimum distance (20’ Foul Arc) to be considered fair and playable.   If a defensive player stops a ball from passing the Foul Arc it is considered a foul ball.



    8. SOCIAL DIVISION OFFENSE: If a team scores 10 runs in an inning, the subsequent batters must bat from their opposite side of the plate

      1. Resets after the inning

      2. This rule is in effect for any regular season game where at least one Social team is playing






 



  1. Offense – Homeruns

    1. Any ball that goes over the designated fence in the air.

    2. Any ball that hits the foul pole in the air above the fence line

    3. Batter legs out all four bases without a defensive error.

    4. Any ball that hits the top of the fence and bounces over.




 



  1. Offense – Triple

    1. Any batter legs out three bases without a defensive error.




 



  1. Offense – Double

    1. Any ball that bounces under or over the fence or is trapped in or around the fence.

    2. Any batter legs out two bases without a defensive error.

    3. Any ball that hits off the fence in the air. If the ball hits off a fielder’s body and hits the field in the air, it is still a double.

    4. Any Fair ground ball that that rolls past the outfield fence line is a ground rule double.




 



  1. Offense – Single

    1. A fair hit ball that the batter beats out for one base.  With or without a defensive error.




 



  1.  Balls and Strikes

    1. It's a strike if… 

      1. It's swung at and missed.

      2. It's fouled off.

      3. It hits the strike board

      4. The batter messes with a good pitch with the hand or elbow. There is one first warning.



    2. It's a ball if… 

      1. It hits a batter.

      2. It misses the strike zone board

      3. The pitcher messes with the ball.



    3. Strikeout = 3 Strikes.

      1. If a ball is fouled into the strike board with 2 strikes on the hitter will result in a strike out.



    4. Five balls = Walk. 

      1. A batter must walk after 5 balls, no exception.



    5. The pitcher may intentionally walk a batter at any time.  Pitches do not need to be thrown.




 



  1.  Base Running

    1. A base runner is out if… 

      1. He or She is forced out when a fielder tags the base he's headed for.

      2. He or She is tagged out or hit with a thrown ball while not on a base.

      3. He or She is the lead runner on a pitcher’s hand force out.

      4. He or She contacts a fair batted ball with at least one foot in fair territory.



    2. No leading off or stealing.

    3. DEAD BALL: The play is dead when a defensive player has control of the ball with at least one hand, foot, or knee in the Pitcher's Circle AND that players says “circle”.

      1. Runners who are fully past the commitment line when “circle” is called awarded the next base.

      2. Runners who are NOT fully past the commitment line when “circle” is called return to the previous base.



    4. GHOST RUNNERS: All ghost runners must be the trailing runner(s).  Ghost runners advance if all leading runners safely advance.

    5. Runners must yield right of way to the fielders.  A runner cannot intentionally interfere with any fielder making a play on a ball.  If a fielder runs into an unsuspecting base runner, the play continues regardless of the interference. A runner DOES NOT have to move off a base for a charging fielder.  The runner may stand safely on the base, but may not interfere with the play in any way.  This includes but is not limited to; waving of arms, stretching body out of the base while the foot is planted, and making intentional contact with the ball.

    6. OVER THROWS: Runners may advance at will, if the overthrown ball stays inside the fair field of play.  Any ball thrown into the bench area or in/around/beyond the backstop will be considered out of play. If the ball continues into foul territory, the lead runner is awarded the base they were headed plus one base (1.5 bases).  Example: Runner is heading to third; fielder makes a throwing attempt at the runner.  The ball continues out of play, the lead runner would be awarded home.  The trailing runners would ONLY be award the next base.  Example: Over throw at a runner heading to third of a hit ball.  The hitter would be awarded second base on the pass ball, but no further.  The hit would be scored as a SINGLE.

    7. PLAYS AT THE PLATE: If there is a play at the plate, the fielders can either tag the runner with the ball, or hit the strike board before the runner crosses home plate.  If runner is out at home and the ball hit the strike board, the ball is dead and runners can no longer advance. If the ball travels beyond the backstop, the play becomes dead and runners only advance one base. The ball may hit the ground, or any other object, prior to hitting the strike board on a runner going home and still record the runner as an out.

    8. CLOSE PLAYS AT BASES: Tie goes to the runner on any close plays at any base.

    9. PEGGGING: Pegging runners with the ball is legal. Pegging constitutes the ball leaving a fielding players hand and hitting a base runner before reaching a base safely. Tagging constitutes the ball in possession of the fielding player and contacting a base runner before reaching a base safely. Once pegging of a base runner has occurred the play is deemed Dead. Once a tag on a base runner has occurred the play is deemed Live. 

    10. PINCH RUNNING: Once a hitter reaches base safely, they must remain the base runner until forced to take their next scheduled at bat. When a base runner is scheduled up any player not on base can be designated as a pinch runner. Injured player exception: A player may pinch run for an injured player after the player has safely reached base. If a player is opting for a pinch runner, they may not field during the game.

    11. TAGGING UP: A base runner may tag on any ball caught, whether fair or foul, except for a ball caught in air in the infield.  This catch would automatically make a pitcher’s hand dead ball.

    12. BALL/RUNNER CONTACT:   If a batted ball hits a runner while he/she is standing on a base, the play would become dead.  The base runner is out. The batter would be awarded a single, runners would advance only if forced.  

      1. A base runner MAY NOT intentionally contact the ball from a base.   If this happens, the hitter would be called out and scored as a normal ground out.



    13. BASE COACHES: Teams may opt to use a first or third base coach to aid the runners.  The base coach may not make on field calls unless the fielding team asks.  The coach must avoid the fielders.




 



  1.  Fielding

    1. Fielding positions may be changed at the discretion of the defense. Extra Hitters may field as well. Teams consisting of all Ladies are allowed to field 3 outfielders and 1 pitcher.

    2. The infield fly rule is not in affect.




 



  1.  Pitcher’s Hand Out

    1. Pitcher’s hand is in affect when: 

      1. A defensive player has control of the ball with at least one hand, foot, or knee in the Pitcher's Circle.



    2. The ball must be in the Pitcher’s hand cleanly (no bobbling) before the batter reaches 1st base is out.

    3. FORCE OUTS: In a force situation, the lead runner would be out on pitchers hand. The Pitcher's hand must beat the batter reaching first.




 



  1.  Umpiring

    1. Calls (safe/out) will be made by only players in the game. On close calls, players can ask people on the bench or people that are watching. If calls cannot be resolved, then a “do-over” will occur. 

      1. Players, Friends and Family outside of the game cannot make calls inside the game. The calls must be made by the players that are participating in the game. As respect to your opponent, please keep your friends and family from inserting un-needed comments and opinions! If they are not part of the game, they are not part of the calls!

      2. League Officers are also not part of the game. You may ask for rule clarification, but do not ask them to make calls inside the game. They should be viewed the same as family, friends and other players of the KWL.



    2. If there are any gaps in the rules above, major league baseball rules apply.




 



  1.  Protesting Games

    1. If a rule is violated during a game and it directly affects the outcome of the game, a team may protest the game by contacting the Commissioner before noon the next day.

    2. The protest will be reviewed by the League Committee and a ruling will be made within 3 days.




 


 



  1. Version Change History:

  2. 3.1.1. - Reduced games for Competitive teams

  3. 3.1.2. - Increased the amount of games a sub or temporary player may play. Increased the game requirement to play in Playoffs

  4. 3.1.3. – Increased dues from $55 to $65 and added a $15 late fee

  5. 5.1.9 – Adjusted the Social division Lob Rule


 



  1. Situation Appendix

  2. 4.2.1.1 – Stats for players drafted into Competitive division are not added to their individual player stats. Drafted players for each team are added a “Team Name – Drafted Players” (e.g. Legends – Drafted Players) line item which are combined for all players drafted into that team for the season. 

  3. 5.8.3 – A player receives the ball in the circle but wants to throw out a runner going to a base. If that player does NOT call “circle” they are free to attempt to peg or tag any runner.

  4. 5.8.11 – The base runner is on base, a portion of their body is in foul territory, and the portion of their body in foul territory is hit with a ball. This runner is out and the play is dead. The batter is awarded a single. All other base runners move forward if forced.


 


 

 

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