Pitch Count

Pitch Count Rules

(1)       Any player on the team is eligible to pitch, and there are no restrictions to the number of pitchers a manager may use in a game.

(2)       Once a player assumes the position of pitcher, they cannot catch for the remainder of the day.

(3)       Pitchers and managers shall follow the following guidelines:

(4)       Pitchers shall be permitted to have 2 appearances in the same calendar day.  If a pitcher    requires a rest following 1^st appearance, they cannot return in the same calendar day.

• Pitchers cannot pitch in 3 games during a day.

Ex) 11U- if a pitcher throws 25 pitches or less in Game 1, they are still eligible to pitch in Game 2 on same calendar day

(5)       Pitchers are allowed to pitch up to 3 consecutive days provided the following is adhered to:

•               Pitchers cannot pitch 4 consecutive days – one (1) days rest is needed.

a)     Pitching two consecutive days is allowed if the pitcher does not exceed the daily MINIMUM threshold for their age group.

     11U: 25                13U: 30                15U Boys/16U Girls: 35             18U: 40        22U: 45

If a pitcher meets the requirements to pitch on consecutive days and the pitcher does not go over the MINIMUM daily threshold during game 1 ON DAY 2, they are permitted to have a 2nd appearance in the same calendar day, or the next day if they do not exceed the minimum first threshold (11U – 25, 13U – 30, 15U – 35, 18U – 40, 22U – 45).

Pitchers will not be permitted to exceed the maximum daily allowable number of pitches in any two-day period. In this situation, when the pitchers two-day total reaches the maximum daily allowable number, that pitchers mandatory days rest starts the following day at 12:01 AM and is based on the total number of pitches thrown over the two-day period.

Examples:

• A 11U pitcher throws 20 pitches on Day 1 (Friday). On Day 2 (Saturday), that pitcher is eligible butlimited to 55 pitches FOR THE DAY. Pitcher throws 25 pitches in game 1 on day 2, so will be eligible to pitch a second game on day 2 and will now have 30 pitches left for the daily total of 55 for Day 2. Or pitcher may make one appearance on Day 2 and pitch up to 55 pitches. That pitcher’s two-day total is now 75 and this combined total over 2 days is the number to be used to determine Days of Rest. In this case, the Pitcher cannot pitch again for 4 days starting at 12:01 AM Sunday.
• A 13U pitcher throws 25 pitches on Day 1 (Friday). On Day 2 (Saturday), that pitcher is eligible butlimited to 60 pitches FOR THE DAY. Pitcher throws 30 pitches in game 1 on day 2, so will be eligible to pitch a second game on day 2 and will now have 30 pitches left for the daily total of 60 for Day 2. Or pitcher may make one appearance on Day 2 and pitch up to 60 pitches. That pitcher’s two-day total is now 85 and this combined total over 2 days is the number to be used to determine Days of Rest. In this case, the Pitcher cannot pitch again for 4 days starting at 12:01 AM Sunday.
• A 15U pitcher throws 30 pitches on Day 1 (Friday). On Day 2 (Saturday), that pitcher is eligible butlimited to 65 pitches FOR THE DAY. Pitcher throws 35 pitches in game 1 on day 2, so will be eligible to pitch a second game on day 2 and will now have 30 pitches left for the daily total of 65 for Day 2. Or pitcher may make one appearance on Day 2 and pitch up to 65 pitches. That pitcher’s two-day total is now 95 and this combined total over 2 days is the number to be used to determine Days of Rest. In this case, the Pitcher cannot pitch again for 4 days starting at 12:01 AM Sunday.
• A 18U pitcher throws 35 pitches on Day 1 (Friday). On Day 2 (Saturday), that pitcher is eligible butlimited to 70 pitches FOR THE DAY. Pitcher throws 40 pitches in game 1 on day 2, so will be eligible to pitch a second game on day 2 and will now have 30 pitches left for the daily total of 70 for Day 2. Or pitcher may make one appearance on Day 2 and pitch up to 70 pitches. That pitcher’s two-day total is now 105 and this combined total over 2 days is the number to be used to determine Days of Rest. In this case, the Pitcher cannot pitch again for 4 days starting at 12:01 AM Sunday.
• A 22U pitcher throws 40 pitches on Day 1 (Friday). On Day 2 (Saturday), that pitcher is eligible butlimited to 75 pitches FOR THE DAY. Pitcher throws 45 pitches in game 1 on day 2, so will be eligible to pitch a second game on day 2 and will now have 30 pitches left for the daily total of 75 for Day 2. Or pitcher may make one appearance on Day 2 and pitch up to 75 pitches. That pitcher’s two-day total is now 115 and this combined total over 2 days is the number to be used to determine Days of Rest. In this case, the Pitcher cannot pitch again for 4 days starting at 12:01 AM Sunday.

(b)     Pitching three consecutive days is allowed if the pitcher’s first 2 days combined  does not exceed MINIMUM threshold for their age group:

         11U: 25                13U: 30                15U Boys/16U Girls: 35             18U: 40        22U: 45

• If pitcher’s day 1 + day 2 exceeds figure above for their division, they require at least one (1) days rest.

Example: A 13U pitcher throws 10 pitches on Day 1 (Friday). On Day 2 (Saturday), that pitcher is eligible and throws 10 pitches for a two-day total of 20 which does not exceed the 13U minimum of 30 pitches.  On day 3, pitcher is eligible but limited to 65 pitches FOR THE DAY.  Pitcher throws 25 pitches in game 1 on day 3, so will be eligible to pitch a second game on day 3 and will now have 40 pitches left for the daily total of 65 for Day 3. Or pitcher may make one appearance on Day 3 and pitch up to 65 pitches. That pitcher’s three-day total is now 85 and this combined total over 3 days is the number to be used to determine Days of Rest. In this case, the Pitcher cannot pitch again for 4 days starting at 12:01 AM Sunday. Note: Pitcher cannot pitch 4 consecutive days. Minimum of 1 day rest is required.

 (6)      The official scorekeeper will calculate the total pitches thrown for that calendar day and   determine the required rest starting the next calendar day. Athletes must not exceed the   maximum pitch count total for that day. The Official Scorekeepers pitch count will be the official pitch count used. NOTE: Once the Coach informs the Umpire that a Pitcher is facing their final batter when they are 1 pitch away from a threshold, the umpire then informs the official scorekeeper and the total Pitch Count to be recorded by the Scorekeeper will be the threshold number that they just arrived at. No additional pitches will be counted as the pitcher finishes that batter before being removed as the pitcher.

Pitch Count Declaration During Game Play
a) When a pitcher reaches the maximum number of pitches allowed for a threshold (see table above), they can
complete the at-bat without the penalty on days of rest, as long as they do not pitch to another batter. In this
situation, the number of pitches corresponding to the threshold reached will be indicated on the
pitching log.
The coach or manager needs to acknowledge this to the umpire at this moment prior to the next pitch. Umpire
would then notify the scorekeeper. Once the Coach informs the Umpire that a Pitcher is facing their final batter
when they are 1 pitch away from a threshold, the umpire then informs the official scorekeeper and the total
Pitch Count to be recorded by the Scorekeeper will be the threshold number that they just arrived at. No
additional pitches will be counted as the pitcher finishes that batter before being removed as the
pitcher.
b) When the pitcher reaches the maximum number of pitches allowed (75, 85, 95, 105 and 115 pitches) during
a day during a batters at-bat, they are allowed to complete the at-bat and must be replaced following that
batter. The coach or manager needs to acknowledge this to the umpire when they are 1 pitch away from a daily
maximum limit.

(7)       The manager or coach may make a 2^nd visit to the mound while the same batter in at bat in order to remove the pitcher.

(8)       A pitcher who is removed from the mound during a game shall not be permitted to return to pitch in the same game, even if the pitcher is retained in the game at another position.

(9)       Intentional Walks are allowed in 13U, 15U, 18U and 21U and will be included in Pitch Count totals even though you do not physically throw any pitches. If you choose to  intentionally walk a batter, you must inform the umpire.  If no pitches are thrown – 4  pitches will still be charged to the pitch count.  If you decide after throwing 2 pitches to put the batter on, then you just inform the umpire and the batter is awarded 1st.  In this case, however many strikes were thrown plus a total of 4 balls will count towards the pitch count. (2019)

NOTE: Intentional Walks are NOT allowed in the 11U Division     (2019)

(10)     Required Rest shall be defined in “Days” starting at 12:01am and ending at 11:59 pm of   the next calendar day.

(11)     If a game continues past 12:01am, those pitches are counted as if pitched prior to midnight.  If a game is suspended, when it resumes it is defined as a different day, however, the pitcher resumes with the total he/she left off with prior to game suspension.

(12)     Any violation of any part of the pitch count rule, the result is the Head Coach is ejected from the current game and receives an additional game suspension. Should this violation not be caught during the game, the Head Coach will receive a 2-game   suspension to be served immediately. The OFFENDING team will also forfeit the game by a score of 1 run per inning to zero. Ex) 11U is a 6-inning game so forfeit score would be 6-0. (2023)

Pitch Count Benefits

Article from the New York Times

Please take the time to read this article regarding Pitch Count and its benefits from the August 7, 2009 edition of the New York Times.

Read More

Pitch Count Forms & Downloads

Please click on the links below to download files relating to Pitch Count:

SBA Pitch Count Tracking Sheet

Pitch Count Logbook Game Form – 11U

Pitch Count Logbook Game Form – 13U

Pitch Count Logbook Game Form – 15U

Pitch Count Logbook Game Form – 18U

Pitch Count Logbook Game Form – 22U

Pitch Count Logbook Master Form

Scorekeeper’s Guide to Pitch Count

Flip Board Numbers to Track Pitches