October 30, 2013

Three rule changes for junior baseball teams

By The American Legion
Baseball
Three rule changes for junior baseball teams
(Photo by Eldon Lindsay)

Starting with the 2014 American Legion Baseball season, changes apply to courtesy runners, the designated hitter and re-entry rules.

The 2014 American Legion Baseball season gets underway Jan. 1 with new rules for all junior teams that departments may elect to adopt. Coaches and department baseball chairman voiced their ideas for possible rule changes in a recent Legion Baseball survey, and the Legion Baseball Subcommittee and National Americanism Commission listened.

The three rule changes that will be in the 2014 Legion Baseball Rule Book are:

Rule 1 E. Courtesy runners. Teams have the option to use a courtesy runner for the pitcher or catcher at any time. For speed-up purposes, it is recommended that the courtesy runner be used with two men out in all games.

Rule 1 G. Designated hitter. A hitter may be (not mandatory) designated for any one starting player (not just pitchers) and all subsequent substitutes for that player in the game. A starting defensive player cannot be listed as the designated hitter in the starting lineup. A designated hitter for said player shall be selected prior to the start of the game, and his name shall be included on the lineup cards presented to the umpire-in-chief and to the official scorer. Failure to declare a designated hitter prior to the game precludes the use of a designated hitter in that game.

Rule 1 Q: Re-entry. Any of the starting players, with the exception of the pitcher and the designated hitter, may withdraw from the game and re-enter once, provided such players occupy the same batting position whenever they re-enter the lineup. Starting pitchers and designated hitters that change positions later in the same game are NOT eligible to re-enter.

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